Concept
Pairing function
Overview
In mathematics, a pairing function is a process to uniquely encode two natural numbers into a single natural number.
Any pairing function can be used in set theory to prove that integers and rational numbers have the same cardinality as natural numbers.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
Related ideas
- Integer
- Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory
- Mathematics
- Rational number
- Natural number
- Set theory
- Bijection
- Arity
- Cantor's diagonal argument
- Continuous function
- Cardinal number
- Cardinality
- Axiom of choice
Place in the tradition
Part of First-order logic.