Today’s topics

(1) Go through the course outline

Lec 1—Chapter 1 (2) Real Numbers and Set Notation

Yijun Lou (3) Functions

Jan 14, 2015

(4) Elementary Functions

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1.1 Real Numbers and Set Notation Set notation: represent a set

• Set: a collection of elements

Method 1: List all elements in the set
√ √ 
• N: the set of all natural numbers (also called pos- For example, S = 2, 3, π denotes the set contains
itive integers). N={1, 2, 3, 4, . . .} three elements.

• Z: set of all integers. Z={0, 1, −1, 2, −2, 3, −3, . . .} Method 2: List all elements in the set that satisfies
some properties: {x : p(x)} is the set of all those
• Q: set of all rational numbers. Rational numbers x for which the statement p(x) is true.
p  
can be written as ratio or quotient , where p, q
q For example: S = x : 2x2 − 5x − 3 = 0 is the set of
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are integers and q = 0, for example, , , − real numbers x such that 2x2 − 5x − 3 = 0 is true; that
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is, S is the set consisting of the real roots of
• R: set of all real numbers:
2x2 − 5x − 3 = 0,
set of all rational numbers + set of all irrational
1
numbers which is the set {3, − }.
2

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 Intervals: a piece on the real line Set relations

Four types of intervals x ∈ S: x is an element of the set S

x ∈ S: x is not an element of the set S
• [−1.5, 5.3]={x : −1.5 ≤ x ≤ 5.3}
For example: “x ∈ N" means “x is an element of N (the
set of positive integers), that is, “x is a positive integer"
• (−1.5, 5.3]={x : −1.5 < x ≤ 5.3}

A is a subset of B if and only if every element of

• [−1.5, 5.3)={x : −1.5 ≤ x < 5.3}
• (−1.5, 5.3)={x : −1.5 < x < 5.3}
Notation ∞: [a, ∞) = {x : a  x}. In particular, R =
(−∞, ∞)
A is an element of B. Denoted by A ⊂ B. If a
set A is a subset of B and B is not a subset of A,
then A is said to be a proper subset of B
Example: N ⊂ Z ⊂ Q ⊂ R, where the inclusions are all
proper.

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Set intersection
Set union
A ∩ B: intersection of two sets A and B (contain all
elements in both A and B). That is
A ∪ B: the union of two sets A and B (contain all
A ∩ B = {x : x ∈ A and x ∈ B}. elements in A or in B)
√  √ 
Example: If A = 2, π and B = 2, 1, 0 , then
A∩B = Venn Diagram

Venn Diagram for the set intersection

Example 1.1.5: If A is the set of odd positive inte-
gers and B is the set of even positive integers, then
A ∪ B = N.

∅: empty set (a set with no element).

For example, if A = {1, 2} and B = {3, 4}, then A ∩ B =
∅.

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 Absolute values Theorem: Suppose b > 0. Then x satisfies the
inequality |x| < b if and only if −b < x < b.

Definition: If a ∈ R , we define |a|, called the ab- Example: Solve the inequality |x − 1| < 3 for x ∈ R.
solute value of a, by

a, if a  0
|a| =
−a, if a < 0

• Real line representation of the absolute value |a|:

the distance between a and 0.
Theorem: Suppose b > 0. Then x satisfies the
• For instance, |3| = 3, | − 4| = 4, |8 − 17| = | − 9| inequality |x| > b if and only if x < −b or x > b.
= 9.
Example: Solve x from the inequality |x − 7|  9.

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Solve inequalities with square term or cubic term

1.3 Functions
Example: x2 + 2x − 1 > 2.
1.3.1 Basic Concepts

A function f : A → B is a rule that assigns a value

to each x ∈ A (in the domain) a uniquely deter-
Example: x3 − 2x2 − x + 2 ≤ 0. mined element y ∈ B (in the range).

In the high school, we may be familiar with this y = x2 ,

Leave as an exercise then this rule (taking the square) assigns to x = −1
a y value y = 1. Now we can rewrite a function as
f (x) = x2 and f (−1) = 1.

Example: −x3 + 2x2 + x − 2 ≤ 0.

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 Polynomials (polynomial functions)

If a function f : R → R has this form:

f (x) = a0 + a1 x + a2 x2 + · · · + an xn

where a0 , a1 , · · · , an are real numbers with an = 0,

then we call f is a polynomial function with degree
n.

Examples of polynomials:

• f (x) = 3x2 + 6x + 7 (degree 2 polynomial)

• f (x) = 9x3 + 7 (degree 3 polynomial)

The polynomials are well defined for all x ∈ R. (The
domain of a polynomial is R)

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