mathematics for economists M1 2014/15: exercise session 1

pmaraner@unibz.it

basic set theory

specification of sets
Exercise 1. Specify the following sets by listing all their elements:

1. {x 2 N :

3 < x < 5}

2. {x 2 Z :

3 < x 2 or

3. {x 2 Z :

2 < x 2 and

4. {x 2 Q : 3x 2 N and

1 x < 4}
1 x < 4}
1 x < 1}

5. {x 2 R : x2 0}
solutions: 1. {1, 2, 3, 4} 2. { 2,

1, 0, 1, 2, 3} 3. { 1, 0, 1, 2} 4.

1, 2
3 3

5. {0}

Exercise 2. Specify the following sets by specifying the property of their elements:

1. The set of all positive even numbers: {2, 4, 6, 8, ...}

2. The set of all even number: {2, 4, 6, 8, ...}
3. The set of all positive odd numbers: {1, 3, 5, 7, 9, ...}
4. The set of all positive multiples of three: {3, 6, 9, 12, 15, ...}
5. The set of all prime numbers: {2, 3, 5, 7, 11, ...}
6. The set of the real solutions of the inequality x

3 < 0.

solutions: 1. {n 2 N : n = 2m, m 2 N} 2. {n 2 Z : n = 2m, m 2 Z} 3. {n 2 N : n = 2m

3m, m 2 N} 5. {n 2 N : n/m 2
/ N, m 2 N, 1 < m < n} 6. {x 2 R : x < 3}

Exercise 3. Specify the following sets as intervals:

1. {x 2 R : 2 < x < 5}
2. {x 2 R : 2 < x 5}
3. {x 2 R : x > 2}
4. {x 2 R : x 5}
solutions: 1. (2, 5) 2. (2, 5] 3. (2, 1) 4. ( 1, 5]

1, m 2 N} 4. {n 2 N : n =

Exercise 4. Specify the following intervals by specifying the property of their

elements:
1. [ 2, 4]
2. [ 3, 1)
3. [4, 7)
4. ( 1, 5)
solutions: 1. {x 2 R :

2 x 4} 2. {x 2 R : x

3} 3. {x 2 R : 4 x < 7} 4. {x 2 R : x < 5}

elements and subsets

Exercise 5. Complete the following strings by inserting 2 or 2
/ or :

1. a ... {a, b}
2. c ... {a, b}
3. {a} ... {a, b}
4. a ... {a, {a}, b}
5. ? ... {a, b}
6. {a} ... {a, {a}, b}
solutions: 1. 2 2. 2
/ 3. 4. 2 5. 6. 2 or

union, intersection, difference and complement

Exercise 6. Let the sets T = { 3,

1, 0, 1, 3} and U = {2, 3, 5} be subsets of

S = {k 2 Z : |k| 5}. Specify the following sets by listing all their elements:
1. T [ U and T \ U
2. T

U and U T

3. T C and U C (

denotes the complement in S)

4. T \ U C and U \ T C
solutions: 1. { 3,
4. { 3,

1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 5} and {3} 2. { 3,

1, 0, 1} and {2, 5} 3. { 5,

1, 0, 1} and {2, 5}

4,

2, 2, 4, 5} and { 5,

4,

3,

2,

1, 0, 1, 4}

Exercise 7. Let S and T respectively be the sets of the real solutions of the

inequalities

x2 + 2x + 3

0 and x2

5x + 4 > 0. Specify the intervals

1. S [ T and S \ T
2. S T and T
3. S C and T C (

S
C

denotes the complement in R)

solutions: 1. ( 1, 3] [ (4, 1) and [ 1, 1) 2. [1, 3] and ( 1,

Exercise 8.

1) [ (4, 1) 3. ( 1,

1) [ (3, 1) and [1, 4]

(final exam, academic year 2012/2013, 4 points)

Decide whether the following formula is true: A \ B = A \ C ) B = C. Why?

solution: The formula is false. In fact let A = {1, 2}, B = {2, 3} and C = {2}. Then A \ B = A \ C = {2}, nonetheless B 6= C.

venn diagrams
Exercise 9.

(final exam, academic year 2006/2007, 3 points)

Let A denote the complement of the set A in . Let A \ B = ?, then

C

a) AC \ B C = ?

b) AC [ B C =

c) A [ B =

d) A [ B = ?

solution: b)

Exercise 10. Let AC denote the complement of the set A in . Let A and B two

sets such that A B, then

a) B C AC

b) AC B C

c) A [ B C =

solution: a)

Exercise 11. Let AC denote the complement of the set A in . Let A and B to

arbitrary sets, then (A \ B)C equals

a) AC \ B C

b) AC [ B

c) A \ B C

solution: d)

d) AC [ B C

basic algebra
manipulating algebraic expressions
Exercise 12. Expand the following polynomials:

1. (2x

3)2

2. (x2

4x + 2)(2x

3. (x2

4x + 2)2x

4. x2

4x + 2(2x

solutions: 1. 4x2

3)
3
3)

12x + 9 2. 2x3

11x2 + 16x

6 3. 2x3

8x2 + 4x

3 4. x2

Exercise 13. Factorize the following polynomials:

1. x2

4x + 4

2. 3x2

12

3. 2x2

12x + 18

4. 6x2

5x

5. x3

3x2

10x + 24

2)2 2. 3(x

solutions: 1. (x

2)(x + 2) 3. 2(x

3)2 4. (2x

3)(3x + 2) 5. (x

Exercise 14. Simplify the following expressions:

1.

0,

1,

2,

4,

2x + 2
2
p
6+3 3
3.
3
p
4+ 8
4.
2
2.

solutions: 1. 0, 1,

p
p
p
2, 2, 2 2 2. x + 1 3. 2 + 3 4. 2 + 2

4)(x

2)(x + 3)

Exercise 15. Rewrite as a single rational function:

3
x 1 x+1
x+2
1
2. 2
x
1 x+1
2x + 1
3
3. 2
+
x
4x + 4 x 2
1.

1
solutions: 1. 5x
2.
2
x

3
x2 1

3.

(x

5
x+2

5(5x 6)
2)2 (x+2)

Exercise 16. Rewrite as the sum of a polynomial plus a proper rational function:

1.
2.

x+2
x 1
x2

3x + 4
x 1

3.

2x3 + 4x2 3
x2 + x 2

4.

x4 + 2x2 + 3x 1
x2 3x + 1

solutions: 1. 1 + x 3 1 2. x

(final exam, academic year 2013/2014, 4 points)

2 + x 2 1 3. 2x + 2 + 22x+1 4.
x +x 2

absolute value
Exercise 17. Rewrite without absolute value

1. |x|, |x
2.

3|

|x|
x

3. |x|

4. |x2

1|

5. |x| = 2
6. |x| = |y|

(adapted from the final exam, academic year 2006/2007, 3 points)

7. |x| 4
solutions: 1. x if x
x < 0 4. x2

0 and

1 if x 2 ( 1,

x if x < 0, x

3 if x

1) [ (1, 1) and 1

3 and 3

x if x < 3 2. 1 if x > 0 and

x2 if x 2 [ 1, 1] 5. x = 2 6. x = y 7.

1 if x < 0 3. 0 if x
4x4

0 and

2x if