ARealParadox

DarrenKelley

Abstract

ItisconjecturedthatthedensityofthepositiveRealnumbersisnonuniform.Theconjectureismotivatedbyanew
paradoxinvolvingtheincompatibilityofthreenewtheoremsaboutthepositiveRealnumberline.

ConsiderthefollowingthreetheoremsaboutthepositiveRealnumbers.(Inwhatfollows,forexpressive
simplicity,IrefertothepositiveRealnumberssimplyastheRealsorReals.Ignoring,thatis,thenegative
Realnumberswithclearlynonegativeconsequences).

TheoremI
:ThesetofReals(0,1]andthesetofReals[1,)areonetoone.Thatis,foreveryRealnumber
intheset(0,1]thereisaRealnumberintheset[1,)andforeveryRealnumberintheset[1,)thereisa
Realnumberintheset(0,1].

Proof
:ForeveryRealxinthesetofRealsin(0,1]therecorrespondsoneRealin[1,),namely,1/x.For
everyRealxinset[1,)thereisoneRealin(0,1],namely,1/x.

TheoremII
:ThenumberofRealsin[0,1]isthesameasthenumberofRealsin[1,2].Thatis,Forevery
Realxin(0,1]thereisoneRealin[1,2]andforeveryRealxin[1,2]thereisaonerealin[0,1].

Proof
:ForeveryRealxinthesetofRealsin(0,1]therecorrespondsoneRealin[1,2],namely,1+x.For
everyRealxinthesetofReals[1,2]thereisaRealyinthesetofRealsin(0,1],namelythatysuchthat2
x=y.

TheoremIII
:ThenumberofRealsin[1,2]islessthanthenumberofRealsin[1,)

Proof
:Thereisanumberyin[1,)thatisnotin[1,2]namely,3.

NoticethattheoremsIIIIareincompatible.Insimpleterms,theoremIsaysthatthenumberofRealsin(0,1]
isthesameasthenumberofRealsin[1,).TheoremIIsaysthatthenumberofRealsinthe(0,1]isthe
sameasthenumberofRealsin[1,2].AndtheoremIIIsaysthatthenumberofRealsin[1,2]islessthan
thenumberofRealsin[1,).ButthenumberofRealsin(0,1]cantbethesameasthenumberofRealsin
set[1,2]ifthesetofRealsin[1,2]islessthanthenumberofRealsin[1,).AndthenumberofRealsin[1,
)cantbegreaterthanthenumberofRealsin[1,2]ifthenumberofRealsin[1,)isthesameastheset
ofRealsin(0,1].

ThatthereisaparadoxhereisdueinparttothesimplicityoftheallegedproofsoftheoremsIIII.Inother
words,moresophistication,lessparadox.Andparadoxisthepoint.

Takingseriouslythereasoningthathasledtotheallegedparadoxitremainstodecidewhichofthe
theoremsisfalse.ConsiderthatIisthemostcontroversialofthethreetheorems.ThatsbecauseIIandIII
arebothplausiblycompatibleandIisclearlyincompatiblewithboth.Thereasoningisasfollows.


UniformDensityConjecture(UDC)
:ThedensityoftheRealnumbersisuniform.Thatis,foranytwosets
ofReals(a,b)and(c,d)ifdc=bathenthenumberofRealsin(a,b)isthesameasthenumberofReals
in(c,d).AndforanytwosetsofReals(a,b)and(c,d),ifdc>bathentherearemoreRealsin(c,d)than
in(a,b).

ItakeUDCtobeuncontroversial.

UDCisclearlyincompatiblewiththeoremI.ThatsbecausetheoremIsaysthenumberofRealsin(0,1]is
thesameasthenumberofRealsin[1,).Therefore,byUDC,thedensityofRealsin(0,1]isgreaterthan
thedensityofRealsin[1,)(andsoanyarbitrarilychosenfinitesubsetthereof).

UDCisclearlycompatiblewiththeoremIII.

UDCisunclearlycompatiblewiththeoremII.Ifweconsidertheboundsof(0,1]tobe[0,1]thenitsclear
thatUDCiscompatiblewiththeoremII.thatsbecause10=1and21=1andso,byUDC,theyhavethe
samenumberofnumbers.WhichiswhattheoremIIsays.However,followingconvention,thedifferencein
theboundsof(0,1]is1where<<1and>0.Therefore,because21>1,thedensityoftheReals
in(0,1]isgreaterthanthedensityoftheRealsin[1,2],contrarytoUDC.

Allthisgoestowardreinforcingtheallegedparadox.Butnoneofitgoesveryfartowardresolvingit.

AsitismyintenttomerelymotivatetheparadoxIllconcludethispaperwitharesolvingconjecture.

IclaimthattheoremIistrue.IclaimthatUDCisfalse.Therefore,,Iconjecturethefollowing:

NonUniformDensityConjecture(NDC)
:

the

densityoftheRealnumbersisnotuniform.Instead,the
densityoftherealnumbersdecreasesasafunctionofxsuchthattherelativedensityoftherealnumbersin
(0,]isgivenbytheexpression1/x.