well-ordering principle

well-ordering principle

[′wel ¦ȯr·dər·iŋ ′prin·sə·pəl]

(mathematics)

The proposition that every set can be endowed with an order so that it becomes a well-ordered set; this is equivalent to the axiom of choice.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.