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> [!definition] Definition. ([[monotone class]])
> A **monotone class** is a collection $\mathscr{M}$ of sets that is stable under [[countably infinite|countable]] [[monotonic map|increasing]] unions and under [[countably infinite|countable]] [[monotonic map|decreasing]] intersections, that is:
> 1. If $E_{1} \subset E_{2} \subset \cdots$ is an increasing sequence of sets in $\mathscr{M}$, then $\bigcup_{k=1}^{\infty} E_{k} \in \mathscr{M}$;
> 2. If $E_{1} \supset E_{2} \supset \cdots$ is a decreasing sequence of sets in $\mathscr{M}$ , then $\bigcap_{k=1}^{\infty}E_{k} \in \mathscr{M}$.
>
> ![[class methods in measure theory.canvas|class methods in measure theory]]
> [!basicexample]
> - Clearly every [[σ-algebra]] is a monotone class.
> - However, some monotone classes are not even stable under finite unions (i.e. are not [[algebra of sets|algebras]]). For example, the collection $\mathscr{M}$ of all [[interval|intervals]] of $\mathbb{R}$ is certainly a monotone class, but because $\mathscr{M}$ is not closed under finite unions (nor complementation) it is not an [[algebra of sets|algebra]] (nor a [[σ-algebra]]).
> - The intersection of all monotone classes containing some set collection $\mathscr{A}$ is again a monotone class containing $\mathscr{A}$, called the **monotone class generated by $\mathscr{A}$**.
> - [[Dynkin system|Dynkin systems]] are monotone classes with added conditions regarding complements
^basic-example
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#### References
> [!backlink]
> ```dataview
> TABLE rows.file.link as "Further Reading"
> FROM [[]]
> FLATTEN file.tags as Tag
> WHERE Tag = "#definition" OR Tag = "#theorem" OR Tag = "#MOC" OR Tag = "#proposition" OR Tag = "#axiom"
> GROUP BY Tag
> ```
> [!frontlink]
> ```dataview
> TABLE rows.file.link as "Further Reading"
> FROM outgoing([[]])
> FLATTEN file.tags as Tag
> WHERE Tag = "#definition" OR Tag = "#theorem" OR Tag = "#MOC" OR Tag = "#proposition" OR Tag = "#axiom"
> GROUP BY Tag
> ```