Injective map from $\mathbb{R}^2$ to $\mathbb{R}$

Solution 1:

How about this construction: Express $(x,y)\in\mathbb{R}^2$ in decimals ($x=\sum a_k 10^k$, $y=\sum b_k 10^k$) and define the image of $(x,y)$ as the real number which you obtain by interlacing the decimals (i.e. take $c_{2k} = a_k$ and $c_{2k+1} = b_k$).

Solution 2:

Hopefully this answer complements Dirk's direct answer. I use the fact that $\mathbb R$ has the same cardinality as $2^{\mathbb N}$ (and hence $\mathbb R^{2}$ has the same cardinality as $2^{\mathbb N} \times 2^{\mathbb N}$). Our goal, then, is to establish an injective function from $2^{\mathbb N} \times 2^{\mathbb N}$ to $2^{\mathbb N}$.

Given $S, T \subseteq \mathbb N$, consider the set: $$ R := \{2x \,:\, x \in S\}\ \cup \ \{ 2y+1 \,:\, y \in T \}. $$ Given the set $R$, it is easy to "decode" the sets $S$ and $T$. (Hint: Consider the odd and even elements of $R$.) Therefore the mapping $(S,T) \mapsto R$ as above is injective.