In mathematics, the axiom of power set is one of the Zermelo-Fraenkel axioms of axiomatic set theory.
In the formal language of the Zermelo-Fraenkel axioms, the axiom reads:
Or in words:
- Given any set A, there is a set PA such that, given any set B, B is a member of PA if and only if B is a subset of A.
By the axiom of extensionality this set is unique.
We call the set B the power set of A, and denote it PA.
Thus the essence of the axiom is:
- Every set has a power set.
The axiom of power set is generally considered uncontroversial, and it or an equivalent appears in just about any alternative axiomatisation of set theory.
