set with exactly one element
In mathematics, a singleton (also known as a unit set or one-point set) is a set with exactly one element. For example, the set ... Within the framework of Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory, … Wikipedia
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Singleton_(mathematics)
Singleton (mathematics) - Wikipedia
July 12, 2025 - In mathematics, a singleton (also known as a unit set or one-point set) is a set with exactly one element. For example, the set ... Within the framework of Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory, the axiom of regularity guarantees that no set is an element of itself. This implies that a singleton is ...
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Imagine you are a child or an AI robot with an incredible intelligence. You become fascinated and amused by informally thinking about (with no references) the finite symmetric groups . Eventually you want to formalize this 'slice of math', and attempt to layout a formal theory. You already understand how to construct the finite von Neumann ordinals,

0   = {}           = ∅
1   = {0}          = {∅}
2   = {0, 1}       = {∅, {∅}}
3   = {0, 1, 2}    = {∅, {∅}, {∅, {∅}}}
4   = {0, 1, 2, 3} = {∅, {∅}, {∅, {∅}}, {∅, {∅}, {∅, {∅}}}}
etc.

and regard these sets as canonical.

You decide that each of these collections of automorphisms must have an identity and begin by explicitly constructing . Using recursion, you know that with defined you can construct where is the next ordinal.

So you've constructed a chain of proper natural inclusions,

You develop your theory further and note that

There is one and only one group structure on a singleton set.

There is one and only one homomorphism of into .

There is one and only one homomorphism of into .

Just for fun you decide to postulate the following as an axiom,

$\; \text{There exist a group } S_\omega \text{ such that for every } x \in S_\omega \text{ there exists an ordinal } n \text{ with } x \in S_n$

finding no contradictions and concluding that must be unique.

You also observe that there is one and only one way to re-frame a singleton set as a pointed set.

Having studied philosophy, you recall the quote

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.

Lao Tzu

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Here is an interesting recast of the OP's family level definition.

Recall the definition of a partition refinement.

The following are true:

The coarsest partition of a nonempty set is a singleton set.

Every block in the finest partition of a set is a singleton set.

A nonempty set is a singleton if and only if it has exactly one partition (finest = coarsest).

This is very elementary; it doesn't even require the formulation of an ordered pair.

In the next section we copy an extract from the Bulletin of Symbolic Logic.

Going back further before the advent of set theory, you'll find Gottfried Leibniz's Monadology philosophy. In today's mathematics if you have a singleton then it contains a single element that is also a set. By the above, that set can be partitioned into singletons. Is their a monad (or urelement) anywhere in our future?

In the last section we copy out an abstract from Springer Link.


The Empty Set, The Singleton, and the Ordered Pair

Akihiro Kanamori
Department of Mathematics, Boston University

For the modern set theorist the empty set Ø, the singleton {a}, and the ordered pair 〈x, y〉 are at the beginning of the systematic, axiomatic development of set theory, both as a field of mathematics and as a unifying framework for ongoing mathematics. These notions are the simplest building locks in the abstract, generative conception of sets advanced by the initial axiomatization of Ernst Zermelo [1908a] and are quickly assimilated long before the complexities of Power Set, Replacement, and Choice are broached in the formal elaboration of the ‘set of’f {} operation. So it is surprising that, while these notions are unproblematic today, they were once sources of considerable concern and confusion among leading pioneers of mathematical logic like Frege, Russell, Dedekind, and Peano. In the development of modern mathematical logic out of the turbulence of 19th century logic, the emergence of the empty set, the singleton, and the ordered pair as clear and elementary set-theoretic concepts serves as amotif that reflects and illuminates larger and more significant developments in mathematical logic: the shift from the intensional to the extensional viewpoint, the development of type distinctions, the logical vs. the iterative conception of set, and the emergence of various concepts and principles as distinctively set-theoretic rather than purely logical. Here there is a loose analogy with Tarski's recursive definition of truth for formal languages: The mathematical interest lies mainly in the procedure of recursion and the attendant formal semantics in model theory, whereas the philosophical interest lies mainly in the basis of the recursion, truth and meaning at the level of basic predication. Circling back to the beginning, we shall see how central the empty set, the singleton, and the ordered pair were, after all.


Published: 18 June 2011
Monads and Mathematics: Gödel and Husserl
Richard Tieszen (1951-2017)
Department of Philosophy, San José State University

Abstract

In 1928 Edmund Husserl wrote that “The ideal of the future is essentially that of phenomenologically based (“philosophical”) sciences, in unitary relation to an absolute theory of monads” (“Phenomenology”, Encyclopedia Britannica draft) There are references to phenomenological monadology in various writings of Husserl. Kurt Gödel began to study Husserl’s work in 1959. On the basis of his later discussions with Gödel, Hao Wang tells us that “Gödel’s own main aim in philosophy was to develop metaphysics—specifically, something like the monadology of Leibniz transformed into exact theory—with the help of phenomenology.” (A Logical Journey: From Gödel to Philosophy, p. 166) In the Cartesian Meditations and other works Husserl identifies ‘monads’ (in his sense) with ‘transcendental egos in their full concreteness’. In this paper I explore some prospects for a Gödelian monadology that result from this identification, with reference to texts of Gödel and to aspects of Leibniz’s original monadology.

People also ask

Can the union of two singleton sets be a singleton set?

Union of two singleton sets will be a singleton set if and only if two sets are equal.

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splashlearn.com
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Singleton Set: Definition, Formula, Properties, Examples, Facts
Is a singleton set finite or infinite?

A singleton set contains only one element. Thus, it is a finite set.

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Singleton Set: Definition, Formula, Properties, Examples, Facts
Is ∅ a singleton set?

∅ is not a singleton set. It represents an empty set.

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Singleton Set: Definition, Formula, Properties, Examples, Facts
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nLab
ncatlab.org › nlab › show › singleton
singleton in nLab
November 19, 2022 - A subset of a singleton is called a subsingleton. In classical mathematics (using the principle of excluded middle), the only subsingletons are the singletons and the empty subset, but in constructive mathematics, this is an important concept.
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Cuemath
cuemath.com › algebra › singleton-set
Singleton Set - Definition, Formula, Properties, Examples
What is MathFit · FAQs · LearnPracticeDownload · Singleton set is a set containing only one element. The singleton set is of the form A = {a}, and it is also called a unit set. The singleton set has two subsets, which is the null set, and the set itself. Let us learn more about the properties ...
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SplashLearn
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Singleton Set: Definition, Formula, Properties, Examples, Facts
November 16, 2023 - A singleton set is a set containing a single element. A singleton set is also called a unit set since there’s only one element present in the set. In math, a set is a collection of well-defined objects.
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Wolfram MathWorld
mathworld.wolfram.com › SingletonSet.html
Singleton Set -- from Wolfram MathWorld
April 23, 2002 - A set having exactly one element . A singleton set is denoted by and is the simplest example of a nonempty set.
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › mathematics › singleton-set
Singleton Set - GeeksforGeeks
July 23, 2025 - Mathematics · Last Updated : 23 Jul, 2025 · Singleton set is a set with only one element. An example of a singleton set is an even prime number since there is only one prime number and all other primes are odd.
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Abstractmath
abstractmath.org › MM › MMSetSpecific.htm
SOME SPECIFIC SETS
The set $\left\{ \varnothing \right\}$ is in fact a singleton set. The set of subsets of the two-element set $\{1,2\}$ is the set \[\{\varnothing,\{1\},\{2\},\{1,2\}\}\] Because there is only one empty set, $\left\{ x\in \mathrm{\mathbb{R}}\,|\,{{x}^{2}}\lt 0 \right\}$, $[3, 2]$ and $(3, 2)$ are all exactly the same set.
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CK-12 Foundation
ck12.org › all subjects › cbse math › sets and its types › explain what a singleton set is in set theory.
Explain what a singleton set is in set theory. - Examples & Definition | CK-12 Foundation
September 11, 2025 - A singleton set, also known as a unit set, is a set that contains exactly one element. It is a set with only one member. For example, if we have a set @$\begin{align*}A\end{align*}@$ such that @$\begin{align*}A = {2},\end{align*}@$ then@$\begin{align*}A\end{align*}@$ is a singleton set because ...
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Grokipedia
grokipedia.com › singleton (mathematics)
Singleton (mathematics) — Grokipedia
January 16, 2026 - xx itself; for instance, the singleton containing the integer 5, {5}, is a distinct mathematical object from the number 5.[3] Singletons have cardinality 1, meaning they contain precisely one member, and they form the basic building blocks for constructing larger sets through operations like unions and power sets.
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Flamath
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What is a Singleton Set? Definition & Examples
October 4, 2025 - A singleton set is one that contains exactly one element. This element can be any object, number, symbol, or entity defined within the context of the set.
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ALLEN
allen.in › home › jee maths › singleton set
Singleton Set: Definition, Properties & Cardinality
October 5, 2025 - A singleton set, also known as a unit set, is a set that contains exactly one element. This single element can be anything—a number, a variable, an object, or even another set. The defining characteristic of a singleton set is its cardinality, which is always 1.
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CK-12 Foundation
ck12.org › all subjects › cbse math › sets and its types › what do you mean by a singleton set?
What do you mean by a singleton set? - Examples & Definition | CK-12 Foundation
September 11, 2025 - A singleton set, also known as a unit set, is a set that contains exactly one element. It is a set with only one member. For example, if we have a set @$\begin{align*}A\end{align*}@$ such that @$\begin{align*}A = {2},\end{align*}@$ then@$\begin{align*}A\end{align*}@$ is a singleton set because ...
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arXiv
arxiv.org › abs › 2412.18991
[2412.18991] The singleton degrees of the $Σ^0_2$ sets are not dense
December 25, 2024 - Answering an open question raised by Cooper, we show that there exist $Δ^0_2$ sets $D$ and $E$ such that the singleton degree of $E$ is a minimal cover of the singleton degree of $D$. This...
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Physics Forums
physicsforums.com › mathematics › set theory, logic, probability, statistics
Set theoretic definition of a singleton. • Physics Forums
July 27, 2009 - Thanks rasmhop. Its my bedtime now but a quick glance at your reply sems very enlightening. I will study it in deail later. Thanks. Matheinste ... I imagine a singleton is defined as a pair {x, x} because you have an axiom of pairing (or the like).