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In mathematics, the empty set or void set is the unique set having no elements; its size or cardinality (count of elements in a set) is zero. [1] Some axiomatic set theories ensure that the empty set exists by including an axiom of empty set , while in other theories, its existence can be deduced.
Note that a null set is not necessarily an empty set. Common notations for the empty set include "{}", "∅", and "". The latter two symbols were introduced by the Bourbaki group (specifically André Weil) in 1939, inspired by the letter Ø in the Danish and Norwegian alphabets (and not related in any way to the Greek letter Φ). [2] Empty sets ...
In set theory, the empty set, that is, the set with zero elements, denoted "{}" or "∅", may also be called null set. [3] [5] In measure theory, a null set is a (possibly nonempty) set with zero measure. A null space of a mapping is the part of the domain that is mapped into the null element of the image (the inverse image of the null element).
The empty set is a subset of every set (the statement that all elements of the empty set are also members of any set A is vacuously true). The set of all subsets of a given set A is called the power set of A and is denoted by or (); the "P" is sometimes in a script font: ℘ .
When this is done, the empty set is the von Neumann cardinal assignment for a set with no elements, which is the empty set. The cardinality function, applied to the empty set, returns the empty set as a value, thereby assigning it 0 elements. Also in set theory, 0 is the lowest ordinal number, corresponding to the empty set viewed as a well ...
A function that, given a set of non-empty sets, assigns to each set an element from that set. Fundamental in the formulation of the axiom of choice in set theory. choice negation In logic, an operation that negates the principles underlying the axiom of choice, exploring alternative set theories where the axiom does not hold. choice set
It is a useful concept in analysis, indicating lack of an element where one might be expected. It is usually written with the symbol "∅", in Unicode U+2205 ∅ EMPTY SET (∅, ∅, ∅, ∅). A common ad hoc solution is to use the Scandinavian capital letter Ø instead. There are several kinds of zero:
Furthermore, one sometimes considers set theories in which there are no infinite sets, and then the axiom of empty set may still be required. However, any axiom of set theory or logic that implies the existence of any set will imply the existence of the empty set, if one has the axiom schema of separation. This is true, since the empty set is a ...