Math 013 : Algebra & Trigonometry Equal sets are necessarily equivalent but
Terms & Definition equivalent sets need not be equal.
Set - is a well-defined collection of objects.
well-defined - if for any given object we can
objectively decide whether it is or is not in the
collection. Based on facts, not opinions.
Element - a member of the given set.
Upper case letters - are usually used to name
sets.
listing method - describes the set by listing all
the elements between braces and separated by
commas.
set-builder notation - uses a variable a
symbol, usually a letter, that can represent
different elements of a set. braces, and a
vertical bar | that is read as “such that”. This is
usually used when the elements are too many
to list down.
descriptive method - uses a short verbal
statement to describe the set.
ℕ for the set of natural or counting numbers
(positive integers): {1, 2, 3, 4, ...}
ℤ for the set of integers: {... − 4, −3, −2, −1, 0, 1,
2, 3, ...}
ℚ for the set of rational numbers:
ℝ for the set of real numbers
Empty set or null set – a set with no elements.
Unit set or singleton – a set with only one
element.
Finite - if it is possible to list down all the
elements of A in a list.
Infinite - if it is not possible to list down all the
elements of A in a list.
Cardinality n(A) - of A is the number of
elements of A.
Equal (A=B) – exactly the same elements.
Equivalent (A≅B) – if and only they have the
same number of elements.
one-to-one correspondence - of elements if
each element in the first set can be paired with
exactly one element of the second set and each
element of the second set can be paired with
exactly one element of the first set.
Two sets are equivalent if you can put their
elements in one-to-one correspondence.
Universal set (U) – is the set of all objects that
are reasonable to consider in that situation.
Complement of a set (𝐴′) – is the set of all
elements in the universal set that are not in A.
U = {m, a, t, h} A= {m} A’ = {a, t, h}
Subset 𝑨 ⊆ 𝜷 – If every element of A is also an
element of B.
Proper subset 𝑨 ⊂ 𝑩 – If a set A is a subset of
set B and is not equal (not exactly the same
elements).
Power set 𝟐𝒏 – the set containing all the
subsets of a set.
• Every set is a subset of itself. That is, for
any set A, A ⊆ A.
• An empty set is a subset of every set.
That is, for any set A, ∅ ⊆ A.
• The symbol ⊄ is used to indicate that a
set is not a proper subset and ⊄ is used
to indicate that a set is not a subset.
intersection of two sets A ∩ B - is the set of
all elements that are in both sets.
A ∩ B = { x|x ∈ A and x ∈ B}.
disjoint - When the intersection of two sets is
the empty set.
union of two sets A ∪ B - is the set of all
elements that are in either set A or set B (or
both).
difference of two sets A\B or (A − B) - is the
set of all elements in A that are not in B.
A\B = {x | x ∈ A and x ∈/ B}. A\B = A ∩ B′
Cartesian product or cross product of two
sets A × B - is the set of ordered pairs.
Venn Diagram - is used to visualize sets and
their relations.
Lesson 2
real number system - consists of the set of
real numbers and two operations + and · called
addition and multiplication.
Axiom - is a statement which is assumed to be
true.
theorem - is a statement whose truth must be
established by a proof.
Inverse Axiom for Addition - For every real
number a, there is a unique inverse element,
−a, such that a + (−a) = 0 . The number −a is
the additive inverse of a.
Inverse Axiom for Multiplication –
The number 1/a is the multiplicative inverse
of a.
Distributive Axiom of Addition over
Multiplication
1. c · (a + b) = c · a + c · b
2. (a + b) · c = a · c + b · c
Cancellation Law for Addition
If a + c = b + c then a = b for a, b, c ∈ R.
Cancellation Law for Multiplication
If ac = bc, c 6= 0 then a = b for a, b, c ∈ R.
Property of zero
For any a ∈ R, a · 0 = 0
Theorem:
Let a, b ∈ R. If ab = 0, then either a = 0 or b = 0.
algebraic expression - is any combination of
variables and constant involving a finite
number of basic operations.
polynomial - is an algebraic expression
involving nonnegative integers as powers of
one or more variables.
Term - is a constant or a constant multiplied by
a variable or variables.
degree of polynomial - is the highest of the
degrees of all its terms.
rational expression- is a quotient of two
polynomials and is well-defined if its
denominator is not equal to zero.
least common multiple (LCM) of two or more
polynomials is the polynomial of smallest
degree that is a factor of all the given
polynomials.
least common denominator (LCD) of rational
expressions is the LCM of the denominators.
conjugate of z = a + bi is defined as z = a − bi.