Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 April 2022
Cantor’s first set theory paper (1874) establishes the uncountability of ${\mathbb R}$. We study this most basic mathematical fact formulated in the language of higher-order arithmetic. In particular, we investigate the logical and computational properties of
${\mathsf {NIN}}$ (resp.
${\mathsf {NBI}}$), i.e., the third-order statement there is no injection resp. bijection from
$[0,1]$ to
${\mathbb N}$. Working in Kohlenbach’s higher-order Reverse Mathematics, we show that
${\mathsf {NIN}}$ and
${\mathsf {NBI}}$ are hard to prove in terms of (conventional) comprehension axioms, while many basic theorems, like Arzelà’s convergence theorem for the Riemann integral (1885), are shown to imply
${\mathsf {NIN}}$ and/or
${\mathsf {NBI}}$. Working in Kleene’s higher-order computability theory based on S1–S9, we show that the following fourth-order process based on
${\mathsf {NIN}}$ is similarly hard to compute: for a given
$[0,1]\rightarrow {\mathbb N}$-function, find reals in the unit interval that map to the same natural number.