Set Defined

What is a Set?
• It is a well-defined and an unordered collection/aggregate of objects of any kind; the objects are referred as
elements, or members of the set
• It is denoted by upper case/capital letters
• Example:
o Are the following sets well-defined?
o The set of all official James Bond films, made by EON Productions
o The set of best TV shows of all time
o The 10 top-selling recording artists of 2016
o The set of great rap artists

Universal Set
• It is the set that contains all elements relevant to a particular discussion or problem
• Example:

http://amsi.org.au/teacher_modules/pdfs/Sets_and_venn_diagrams.pdf

Notation
• x  S: x is an element of S
• x  S: x is NOT an element of S

Infinite Set
• The number of elements in a set are NOT COUNTABLE

Finite Set
• The number of elements in a set are COUNTABLE

Define/Represent a Set
• Roster Method
• Descriptive or Set Builder Method

Set Equality
• It states that the two (2) given sets are identical, if and only if they contain EXACTLY THE SAME elements
• Example:
o Are the following sets equal?
▪ A = {9, 2, 7, -3}, B = {7, 9, -3, 2}
▪ A = {a, b, c}, B = {c, a, b}
▪ A = {1,2,3}, B = {1,3,5}
▪ A = {dog, cat, horse}, B = {cat, horse, squirrel, dog}
▪ A = {dog, cat, horse}, B = {cat, horse, dog, dog}
▪ A = {1, 2}, B = {1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2}
▪ {3} = {x | x is a counting number between 2 and 5}
▪ {11, 12, 13,…} = {x | x is a natural number greater than 10}
Subset
What is a Subset?
• It is a set contained in a larger set or in an equal set
• Symbolically: A  B if x[x  A → x  B] is true
• Example:
o Determine whether set A is a subset of set B where:
▪ A = {4, 5, 6} and B = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9}
▪ A = {..., -8, -4, 0, 4, 8, ...} and B = {..., -8, -6, -4, -2, 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, ...}
▪ A = {3, 5, 7} and B = {1, 4, 5, 7, 9}
• Practice Exercise:
o Determine whether set A is a subset of set B
▪ A = {rain, snow, sleet} and B = { rain, snow, sleet, hail }
▪ A = {q, r, s, t} and B = {q, r}
▪ A = {x | x is a yellow fruit} and B = {x | x is a red fruit}
▪ A = {vanilla, chocolate, rocky road} and B = {chocolate, vanilla, rocky road}
Proper Subset
• It is a subset that is not equal to the set it belongs to
• Symbolically: A  B if A  B and A ≠ B
• Example:
o Determine whether set A is a proper subset of set B where:
▪ A = { dog, cat } and B = { dog, cat, bird, fish }
▪ A = { dog, bird, fish, cat } and B = { dog, cat, bird, fish }
▪ A = { red, blue, yellow } and B = { red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet }
▪ A = { jazz, pop, hip hop } and B = { classical, jazz, pop, rap, hip hop }
• Practice Exercise:
o Determine whether set A is a proper subset of set B
▪ A = {car, bus, train } and B = { train, car, bus }
▪ A = {a, b, c, d } and B = { a, c, b, d }

Number of Subset
• The number of subsets of a set with n elements is 2n

Number of Proper Subset

• The number of proper subsets of a set with n elements is 2n – 1

Example
• Determine the number and list all the distinct subset and proper subset of the given set {t, a, p, e}

Practice Exercise
• Determine the number and list all the distinct subset and proper subset of the given set below
o {S, L, E, D}
o {1, 2}
o {a, b, c}
The Algebra of Sets
Venn Diagram

http://www.mathxtc.com/Downloads/StatProb/files/Solving%20Venn%20Diagrams.ppt

• It is a way of visually representing sets of items or numbers by using their logical relationships to decide how
they should be grouped together

Set Complement

Set Intersection ()

Set Union ()

Set Difference (-)

Symmetric Difference ()

Sample Problem:

http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/maths/powerpoint/data_handling_revision.ppt.

Practice Exercise
• Let U = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8} and subset A = {1, 3, 4}. Find A’
• Let the following be a subsets of a universal set U. Determine A  B
o A = { ©, , , v, I, ©, ✦, ☒, a }
o B = { , , v, @, a,  }
• Let the following be a subsets of a universal set U. Determine A  B
o A = { ©, , , v, ☒, a }
o B = { , , v, @, a,  }
• Let A = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7} and B = {2, 4, 6, 8, 10}. Determine A – B
• Let A = {a, e, i, o, u} and B = {e, o, n, s}. Determine A  B

References:

2 Sets (n. d.) Retrieved from http://people.clas.ufl.edu/jvanwingerden/files/MGF-1106-textbook-chapter-2.pdf

2.1 – Symbols and Terminology (n. d.) Retrieved from https://www.hccfl.edu/media/982796/mgf%201106%20-%20l1%20-%20sec%202-1-2-3-4-

9-1.pptx.

Cabero, J., Lopez, R., Salamat, L. & Sta. Maria, A. (2010). Discrete Mathematics 1. Quad Alpha Centrum Bldg., 125 Pioneer Street, Mandaluyong
City: National Book Store.

CPSC 121: Models of Computation 2012 Summer Term 2 Sets (n. d.) Retrieved from

Data Handling (n.d) Retrieved from http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/maths/powerpoint/data_handling_revision.ppt.

Introduction to Sets (2014) Retrieved from https://www.mathsisfun.com/sets/sets-introduction.html

Introduction to Sets Basic, Essential, and Important Properties of Sets (2006) Retrieved from
http://www.drdelmath.com/special_topics/introduction_to_sets.ppt.

Section 2.2 Subsets (2013, 2010, 2007) Retrieved from http://iss.schoolwires.com/cms/lib4/NC01000579/Centricity/Domain/4590/Subsets.ppt

Set and Set Operations Section 2.1 (n. d.) Retrieved from
https://www.asu.edu/courses/mat142ej/sets_and_counting/powerpoints/sets_and_set_operations_dalesandro.ppt.

Sets and Venn Diagrams (Number and Algebra : Module 1) (n. d.) Retrieved from
http://amsi.org.au/teacher_modules/pdfs/Sets_and_venn_diagrams.pdf

Solving Venn Diagrams (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.mathxtc.com/Downloads/StatProb/files/Solving%20Venn%20Diagrams.ppt