Let be a finite non-empty alphabet and let 2 * be the power set of *. Which one of the following is TRUE?
Topic-wise GATE CS PYQs with verified steps
GATE CSE 2014 Set 3 · Q16
Time
Select one answerSingle correct
Solution
Official answer: C) 2 * is uncountable and * is countable
Turing Machines and Undecidability**Countability of :** For any finite non-empty alphabet , the set of all finite strings is countably infinite (it can be listed in standard lexicographical order: strings of length 0, then length 1, length 2, etc.). Hence, is countable.
**Countability of :** is the power set of , which represents the set of all possible languages over . By Cantor's Theorem, the power set of any countably infinite set has cardinality , which is strictly greater than . Therefore, is uncountable.
Thus, is uncountable and is countable, which corresponds to option (C).
Try the question first, then check your work.
Examiner trap
Recall that the set of all finite strings over a finite alphabet is countably infinite, and by Cantor's theorem, the power set of any countably infinite set is uncountable.
This Turing Machines and Undecidability previous year question is Q16 of the GATE CSE 2014 Set 3 paper. Find more GATE CSE PYQs on Turing Machines and Undecidability in Theory of Computation, or browse all GATE CSE PYQs.
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Turing Machines and Undecidability has 30 GATE CSE PYQs across 20 papers from 2012 to 2026. 13 of them are 1-mark MCQs like this one, and GATE CSE 2014 Set 3 has 2.
How GATE tests Turing Machines and UndecidabilityIndependent practice explanation verified by the GateAI team. GATE is conducted by the IITs; question text follows the official paper.