The Language of Sets

Intuitively, a set is simply a collection of elements.

unordered, no duplicate
If S is a set, then
• “x  S” means x is an element of S
• “x  S” means x is not an element of S
Set-roster notation:
• S = {1, 2, 3}
• S = {1, 2, …, 100}
• S = {1, 2, …}
Set-builder notation:
• { x  S | P(x) } where the “|” is read “such that”.
• S = {x  S | x≥1 }
• S = {x  S | 1 ≤ x ≤100}

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Subsets: Proof and Disproof
We begin by rewriting what it means for a set A to be a
subset of a set B as a formal universal conditional
statement:

The negation is, therefore, existential:

2
Subsets: Proof and Disproof
A proper subset of a set is a subset that is not equal to its
containing set. Thus

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Example

Let A = {1} , B = {1,2}, C = {1, 2, {1}}.

Is A  B?
Is A  C?
Is B  C?

Is 1  C?
Is A  C?
Is B  C?

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Subsets: Proof and Disproof

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Example 2 – Proving and Disproving Subset Relations

Define sets A and B as follows:

Prove that A  B.

Proof:
Suppose x is a particular but arbitrarily chosen element of
A. [We must show that xB, i.e., that x = 3s for some
integer s.]

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Example 2 – Solution cont’d

By definition of A, there is an integer r such that

x = 6r + 12.

Let s = 2r + 4. Then s is an integer because products

and sums of integers are integers. Also,
3s = 6r + 12 = x

and so x  B.

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Example 2 – Solution cont’d

Disprove that B  A.

To disprove a statement means to show that it is false,

and to show it is false that B  A, you must find an
element of B that is not an element of A.

By the definitions of A and B, this means that you must

find an integer x of the form 3  (some integer) that
cannot be written in the form 6  (some integer) + 12.

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Example 2 – Solution
For instance, consider x = 3.

Then x  B because 3 = 3  1, but x  A because there

is no integer r such that 3 = 6r + 12. For if there were
such an integer, then

but 3/2 is not an integer. Thus 3  B but 3  A, and

so B A.
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Set Equality
We have known that by the axiom of extension, sets A and
B are equal if, and only if, they have exactly the same
elements.

We restate this as a definition that uses the language of

subsets.

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Example 3 – Set Equality
Define sets A and B as follows:

Is A = B?

Solution:
Yes. To prove this, both subset relations A  B and B  A
must be proved.

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Example 3 – Solution cont’d

Part 1, Proof That A  B:

Suppose x is a particular but arbitrarily chosen element of A.
By definition of A, there is an integer a such that x = 2a.
Let b = a + 1. Then b is an integer because it is a sum of
integers.
Also 2b – 2 = 2(a + 1) – 2 = 2a + 2 – 2 = 2a = x,
Thus, by definition of B, x is an element of B.

Part 2, Proof That B ⊆ A:

Similarly we can prove that B ⊆ A. Hence A = B.
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Venn Diagrams
If sets A and B are represented as regions in the plane,
relationships between A and B can be represented by
pictures, called Venn diagrams, that were introduced by
the British mathematician John Venn in 1881.

For instance, the relationship A  B can be pictured in one

of two ways, as shown below.

A⊆B

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Venn Diagrams
The relationship A B can be represented in three different
ways with Venn diagrams, as shown below.

A B

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Example 4 – Relations among Sets of Numbers

Since Z, Q, and R denote the sets of integers, rational

numbers, and real numbers, respectively, Z is a subset of Q
because every integer is rational (any integer n can be
written in the form ).

Q is a subset of R because every rational number is real

(any rational number can be represented as a length on the
number line).

Z is a proper subset of Q because there are rational

numbers that are not integers (for example, ).

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Example 4 – Relations among Sets of Numbers
cont’d

Q is a proper subset of R because there are real numbers

that are not rational (for example, ).

This is shown diagrammatically below.

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Operations on Sets
Most mathematical discussions are carried on within some
context. For example, in a certain situation all sets being
considered might be sets of real numbers.

In such a situation, the set of real numbers would be called

a universal set or a universe of discourse for the
discussion.

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Operations on Sets

18
Operations on Sets
Venn diagram representations for union, intersection,
difference, and complement are shown below.

Shaded region Shaded region Shaded region Shaded region

represents A  B. represents A  B. represents B – A. represents Ac.

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Example 5 – Unions, Intersections, Differences, and Complements

Let the universal set be the set U = {a, b, c, d, e, f, g} and

let A = {a, c, e, g} and B = {d, e, f, g}. Find A  B, A  B,
B – A, and Ac.

Solution:

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Operations on Sets
There is a convenient notation for subsets of real numbers
that are intervals.

Observe that the notation for the interval (a, b) is identical

to the notation for the ordered pair (a, b). However, context
makes it unlikely that the two will be confused.
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Example 6 – An Example with Intervals
Let the universal set be the set R of all real numbers and
let

These sets are shown on the number lines below.

Find A  B, A  B, B – A, and Ac.

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Example 6 – Solution

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Example 6 – Solution cont’d

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Operations on Sets
The definitions of unions and intersections for more than
two sets are very similar to the definitions for two sets.

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Operations on Sets
An alternative notation for and an

alternative notation for

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Example 7 – Finding Unions and Intersections of More than Two Sets

For each positive integer i, let

Find A1  A2  A3.

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Example 7 – Finding Unions and Intersections of More than Two Sets

For each positive integer i, let

Find A1  A2  A3.

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Example 7 – Finding Unions and Intersections of More than Two Sets

For each positive integer i, let

Find .

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Example 7 – Finding Unions and Intersections of More than Two Sets

For each positive integer i, let

Find .

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The Empty Set
We have stated that a set is defined by the elements that
compose it. This being so, can there be a set that has no
elements? It turns out that it is convenient to allow such a
set.

Because it is unique, we can give it a special name. We call

it the empty set (or null set) and denote it by the symbol
Ø.

Thus {1, 3}  {2, 4} = Ø and {x  R| x2 = –1} = Ø.

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Partitions of Sets
In many applications of set theory, sets are divided up into
nonoverlapping (or disjoint) pieces. Such a division is called
a partition.

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Example 9 – Disjoint Sets
Let A = {1, 3, 5} and B = {2, 4, 6}. Are A and B disjoint?

Solution:
Yes. By inspection A and B have no elements in common,
or, in other words, {1, 3, 5}  {2, 4, 6} = Ø.

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Partitions of Sets

34
Example 10 – Mutually Disjoint Sets
Let A1 = {3, 5}, A2 = {1, 4, 6}, and A3 = {2}. Are A1, A2, and
A3 mutually disjoint?

Yes. A1 and A2 have no elements in common, A1 and A3

have no elements in common, and A2 and A3 have no
elements in common.

Let B1 = {2, 4, 6}, B2 = {3, 7}, and B3 = {4, 5}. Are B1, B2, and
B3 mutually disjoint?

No. B1 and B3 both contain 4.

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Partitions of Sets
Suppose A, A1, A2, A3, and A4 are the sets of points
represented by the regions shown below.

A Partition of a Set

Then A1, A2, A3, and A4 are subsets of A, and

A = A1 U A2 U A3 U A4.
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Partitions of Sets
Suppose further that boundaries are assigned to the
regions representing A1, A2, A3, and A4 in such a way that
these sets are mutually disjoint.

Then A is called a union of mutually disjoint subsets, and

the collection of sets {A1, A2, A3, A4} is said to be a
partition of A.

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Example 11 – Partitions of Sets
Let A = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}, A1 = {1, 2}, A2 = {3, 4}, and
A3 = {5, 6}. Is {A1, A2, A3} a partition of A?

Yes. By inspection, A = A1  A2  A3 and the sets A1, A2,

and A3 are mutually disjoint.

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Example 11 – Solution
Let Z be the set of all integers and let

Is {T0, T1, T2} a partition of Z?

Yes. By the quotient-remainder theorem, every integer n

can be represented in exactly one of the three forms

for some integer k.

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Power Sets
There are various situations in which it is useful to consider
the set of all subsets of a particular set.

The power set axiom guarantees that this is a set.

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Example 12 – Power Set of a Set
Find the power set of the set {x, y}. That is, find ({x, y}).

Solution:
({x, y}) is the set of all subsets of {x, y}. We know that Ø
is a subset of every set, and so Ø  ({x, y}).

Also any set is a subset of itself, so {x, y}  ({x, y}). The

only other subsets of {x, y} are {x} and {y}, so

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Tuples

ordered, duplicates are allowed.

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Example 13 – Ordered n-tuples

No. By definition of equality of ordered 4-tuples,

But 3  4, and so the ordered 4-tuples are not equal.

Yes. By definition of equality of ordered triples,

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Cartesian Products

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Example 14 – Cartesian Products
Let A1 = {x, y}, A2 = {1, 2, 3}, and A3 = {a, b}.

Find A1 × A2.

A1  A2 = {(x, 1), (x, 2), (x, 3), (y, 1), (y, 2), (y, 3)}

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Example 14 – Cartesian Products
Let A1 = {x, y}, A2 = {1, 2, 3}, and A3 = {a, b}.

Find (A1 × A2) × A3.

The Cartesian product of A1 and A2 is a set, so it may be

used as one of the sets making up another Cartesian
product. This is the case for (A1  A2)  A3.

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Example 14 – Cartesian Products
Let A1 = {x, y}, A2 = {1, 2, 3}, and A3 = {a, b}.

Find A1 × A2 × A3.

By definition of Cartesian product,

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