Ordinal Multiplication
Let
and
be totally ordered sets. Let
be the Cartesian product and define order as follows. For any
and
,
1. If
, then
,
2. If
, then
and
compare the same way as
(i.e., lexicographical order)
(Ciesielski 1997, p. 48; Rubin 1967; Suppes 1972). However, Dauben (1990, p. 104) and Moore (1982, p. 40) define multiplication in the reverse order.
Like addition, multiplication is not commutative, but it is associative,
 |
(1)
|
An inductive definition for ordinal multiplication states that for any ordinal number
,
 |
(2)
|
 |
(3)
|
If
is a limit ordinal, then
is the least ordinal greater than any ordinal in the set
{alpha*gamma:gamma<beta}" src="https://mathworld.wolfram.com/images/equations/OrdinalMultiplication/Inline15.gif" style="height:15px; width:76px" /> (Suppes 1972, p. 212).
REFERENCES:
Ciesielski, K. Set Theory for the Working Mathematician. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
Dauben, J. W. Georg Cantor: His Mathematics and Philosophy of the Infinite. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1990.
Moore, G. H. Zermelo's Axiom of Choice: Its Origin, Development, and Influence. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1982.
Rubin, J. E. Set Theory for the Mathematician. New York: Holden-Day, 1967.
Suppes, P. Axiomatic Set Theory. New York: Dover, 1972.