Geometry, Coordinatization and Cardinality of the Rational Numbers from Physical Perspective

Abstract

In this article, we will first discuss the completeness of real numbers in the context of an alternate definition of the straight line as a geometric continuum. According to this definition, points are not regarded as the basic constituents of a line segment and a line segment is considered to be a fundamental geometric object. This definition is in particular suitable to coordinatize different points on the straight line preserving the order properties of real numbers. Geometrically fundamental nature of line segments are required in physical theories like the string theory. We will construct a new topology suitable for this alternate definition of the straight line as a geometric continuum. We will discuss the cardinality of rational numbers in the later half of the article. We will first discuss what we do in an actual process of counting and define functions well-defined on the set of all positive integers. We will follow an alternate approach that depends on the Hausdorff topology of real numbers to demonstrate that the set of positive rationals can have a greater cardinality than the set of positive integers. This approach is more consistent with an actual act of counting. We will illustrate this aspect further using well-behaved functionals of convergent functions defined on the finite dimensional Cartezian products of the set of positive integers and non-negative integers. These are similar to the partition functions in statistical physics. This article indicates that the axiom of choice can be a better technique to prove theorems that use second-countability. This is important for the metrization theorems and physics of spacetime.