Cardinality

Quick meaning: Cardinality is a noun meaning (set theory, of a set) The number of elements a given set contains.

Meaning

(set theory, of a set) The number of elements a given set contains.

More Meanings

1. (type theory) The number of terms that can inhabit a type; the possible values of a type.
2. (religion) The status of being cardinalitial
3. (data modeling, databases) The property of a relationship between a database table and another one, specifying whether it is one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-one, or many-to-many.

Example Sentences

The empty set has a cardinality of zero.

For many types, such as String, the set of possible values is unlimited. Such types have an infinite cardinality.

The cardinality of a set A is the least ordinal α such that there exists a bijection between A and α. We sometimes use the notation #92;alpha#61;#124;A#124; to indicate this.

For fuzzy sets, the concept of set size or cardinality is both richer and more problematic than it is for crisp sets. It is richer because, as we shall see, we may use more than one kind of cardinality.

Word Forms

• cardinalities

Synonyms for cardinality

Depending on context, synonyms include power.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include order, power, numberness, cardinal, amount, potency.

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