Definition of a Set

A well-defined collection or an aggregate of objects of any kind such as books, people,

numbers, etc. is defined as a set. Thus, anything can be considered a set.
For example, you may have a set of:
• even numbers {2,4,6,…};
• your favourite food items {bread, rice, curd, mixed vegetable} or, jewellery {gold
chain, ear-ring}.
Elements of a Set
An object which belongs to, or is a member of, or is contained in a set is said to be the
element or a member of the set.
Thus we write "a is an element of the set of letters of the English alphabet" or "3 is not
an element of the set of even numbers".
Cardinality of a Set:
The number of elements in a set may be finite or infinite.
The number of elements of a set is called its cardinality.
If A is a set and has n members, then n is the cardinality of set A.
The cardinality of a set A is sometimes denoted |A|. Thus if A is the set of letters of the
English alphabet, then |A| =26.
If X is the set of vowels of the English alphabet, then its cardinality is 5, i.e., |X| =5.
Notations
1. Sets are usually denoted by capital letters i.e., A, B, C, ...etc.
2. The elements of set are usually denoted by small letters a, b, c, ... Therefore, if X is a set
and x is an element of X, we write x ∈ X, i.e., x belongs to X.
3. If X is a set and y is not an element of X, we write y ∉ X, i.e., y does not belong to X.
The fundamental Algebraic properties of a set
Now, let’s focus on the fundamental properties of sets. Suppose P and Q be two sets, then we
can define a set P intersection Q denoted by P⋂Q, whose elements consist of all the common
elements of P and Q. Another set, P union Q, denoted by P⋃Q, is the set that contains all the
elements of P and Q. A complement denoted by P’ is the set of numbers of the universal set
U, except for the elements of P, the set which does not contain any members is known as the
null set. It is usually denoted by ∅. The operations and properties of sets satisfy many
identities.
Property 1. Commutative property
Union and intersection operation satisfy the commutative property, which means that
p+q= q+p in algebraic terms. In terms of set, it is :
• A⋃B = B⋃A
• A⋂B = B⋂A
 Property 2. Associative property
Again, both union and intersection fulfil the associative property of sets. In simple terms,
it means that (p+q)+r is the same as p+(q+r). In terms of sets, it is as follows:
• (A⋃B)⋃C = A⋃(B⋃C)
• (A⋂B)⋂C = A⋂(B⋂C)
Property 3. Distributive property
Same as before, union and intersection both satisfy the distributive property of set. It is as
follows:
• A⋂(B⋃C) = (A⋂B)⋃(A⋂C)
• A⋃(B⋂C) = (A⋃B)⋂(A⋃C)
Property 4. Identity
Identity property means that a+0 is always equal to a.
• A⋂U = A
• A⋃∅ = A
Property 5. Idempotent
• A⋃A = A
• A⋂A = A
Property 6. Complement
• A⋂A’ = ∅
• A⋃A’ = U
Property 7. De Morgan’s Laws
For any two finite sets A and B;
(i) A – (B ∩ C) = (A – B) U (A – C)
(ii)A – (B U C) = (A – B) ∩ (A – C)
De Morgan’s Laws can also be written as:
(i)(A ∩ B)’ = A’ U B’
(ii) (A U B)’ = A’ ∩ B’

Set Operations with its Venn Diagrams:

Sets are treated as mathematical objects. Similarly to numbers, we can perform certain
mathematical operations on sets. Below we consider the principal operations involving
the intersection, union, difference, symmetric difference, and the complement of sets.
To visualize set operations, we will use Venn diagrams. In a Venn diagram, a rectangle shows
the universal set, and all other sets are usually represented by circles within the rectangle. The
shaded region represents the result of the operation.
1. Union Of Sets:
The union of two sets A and B, denoted by A∪B, is defined as the set C which contains all the
elements of either set A or set B or both, with the common elements being taken only once.
Symbolically, C = A∪B = {x|x∈A or x∈B}
Example:
A = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} B = {5, 7, 9, 11, 13}
A U B = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9,11,13}
Notice that when you wrote the united set you did not write "5" twice. You simply listed all of
the new sets elements.

2. Intersection of Sets:
The intersection of two sets A and B, denoted by A ⋂ B, is defined as the set C which contains
all the elements belonging to both A and B.
Symbolically, C = A⋂B = {x|x∈A and x∈B}
Two sets are called disjoint if they have no elements in common.

Example
A = {1, 3, 5, 7, 9} B = {2, 3, 4, 5, 6}
The elements they have in common are 3 and 5. A ∩ B = {3,5}