cardinality

American  

[kahr-dn-al-i-tee] / ˌkɑr dnˈæl ɪ ti /

noun

Mathematics.

plural

cardinalities

1. (of a set) the cardinal number indicating the number of elements in the set.

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cardinality British  

/ ˌkɑːdɪˈnælɪtɪ /

noun

1. maths the property of possessing a cardinal number

2. maths logic (of a class) the cardinal number associated with the given class. Two classes have the same cardinality if they can be put in one-to-one correspondence

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Etymology

Origin of cardinality

First recorded in 1930–35; cardinal + -ity

Example Sentences

The sets presented so far all have the same cardinality.

From Scientific American • Jul. 13, 2023

Not only is the cardinality of natural and even numbers the same, the trick with mapping two sets can be applied to other examples as well.

From Scientific American • Jul. 13, 2023

In order to investigate the cardinality of the real numbers in more detail, you must extend the current set theory to include other basic statements.

From Scientific American • Jul. 13, 2023

This cardinality is actually denoted by ‘c’ and not by the expected .

From Scientific American • Jan. 23, 2013

But as zero came into the fold, the neat relationship between a number’s cardinality and its ordinality was ruined.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife