MTH1301: Elementary Mathematics I
MTH101: Elementary Mathematics I
MB, MH, SMT, NA
Monday 29th July, 2024
Introduction to Set Theory
1. What is a Set?
A set is a well-defined collection of distinct objects. These objects are called elements
or members of the set.
Example: The set of vowels in the English alphabet can be written as {a, e, i, o, u}.
2. Set Notation
We use capital letters to denote sets and lowercase letters to denote elements of sets.
• A = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} is a set of the first five positive integers.
• If x is an element of set A, we write: x ∈ A
• If y is not an element of set A, we write: y ∈
/A
Example: For the set A = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
• 3 ∈ A (3 is an element of A)
• 6∈
/ A (6 is not an element of A)
3. Types of Sets
1. Finite Set: A set with a definite number of elements. Example: B = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
is a finite set with 5 elements.
2. Infinite Set: A set with an unlimited number of elements. Example: The set of
all positive integers is an infinite set.
3. Empty Set (Null Set): A set with no elements, denoted by ∅ or {}. Example: The
set of even numbers that are also odd is an empty set.
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4. Set Builder Notation
We can define sets using a property that its elements must satisfy.
General form: {x | property of x}
Read as ”the set of all x such that (property of x is true)”
Example: The set of all even positive integers less than 10
A = {x | x is an even positive integer and x < 10}
A = {2, 4, 6, 8}
5. Subsets
A set A is a subset of set B if every element of A is also an element of B. We write this
as A ⊆ B.
Example:
Let A = {1, 2, 3} and B = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
A is a subset of B, so we write A ⊆ B
6. Proper Subsets
A set A is a proper subset of set B if A is a subset of B, but A ̸= B. We write this as
A ⊂ B.
Example:
Let A = {1, 2, 3} and B = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
A is a proper subset of B, so we write A ⊂ B
Practice Problems
1. List all the subsets of the set A = {1, 2, 3}.
2. Is the empty set ∅ a subset of every set? Explain why or why not.
3. Write the following set in set builder notation: {2, 4, 6, 8, 10}
Solutions:
1. The subsets of A = {1, 2, 3} are:
∅, {1}, {2}, {3}, {1, 2}, {1, 3}, {2, 3}, {1, 2, 3}
2. Yes, the empty set ∅ is a subset of every set. This is because the definition of a
subset states that every element of the subset must be in the larger set. Since the
empty set has no elements, this condition is always satisfied.
3. In set builder notation:
{x | x is an even positive integer and x ≤ 10}
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7. Set Operations
Union (∪)
The union of two sets A and B is the set of elements which are in A, in B, or in both A
and B.
A ∪ B = {x | x ∈ A or x ∈ B}
Example:
Let A = {1, 2, 3} and B = {3, 4, 5}
A ∪ B = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
Intersection (∩)
The intersection of two sets A and B is the set of elements which are in both A and B.
A ∩ B = {x | x ∈ A and x ∈ B}
Example:
Let A = {1, 2, 3} and B = {3, 4, 5}
A ∩ B = {3}
Complement (A′ )
The complement of a set A is the set of all elements in the universal set that are not in
A.
A′ = {x | x ∈
/ A}
Example:
If the universal set U = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} and A = {1, 2, 3}
Then A′ = {4, 5}
8. Venn Diagrams
Venn diagrams are visual representations of sets and their relationships. They consist
of overlapping circles or other shapes.
Example:
Let’s represent the following sets using a Venn diagram:
A = {1, 2, 3, 4}
B = {3, 4, 5, 6}
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Practice Problems
1. Given A = {1, 2, 3, 4} and B = {3, 4, 5, 6}, find:
(a) A ∪ B
(b) A ∩ B
(c) A′ (assuming the universal set is {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8})
2. Draw a Venn diagram to represent the sets:
A = {a, b, c, d}
B = {c, d, e, f }
C = {d, e, f, g}
Solutions:
1. (a) A ∪ B = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}
(b) A ∩ B = {3, 4}
(c) A′ = {5, 6, 7, 8}
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