Sets Types, Symbols & Examples
Sets Types, Symbols & Examples
Sets Types, Symbols & Examples
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Sets
Sets, in mathematics, are an organized collection of objects and can be represented in set-builder form or
roster form. Usually, sets are represented in curly braces {}, for example, A = {1,2,3,4} is a set. Also, check
the set symbols here.
In sets theory, you will learn about sets and it’s properties. It was developed to describe the collection of
objects. You have already learned about the classification of sets here. The set theory defines the different
types of sets, symbols and operations performed.
Table of contents:
Definition
Elements of Sets
Order of sets
Sets Representation
Statement Form
Roster Form
Set Builder Form
Types
Operations
Union of sets
Intersection of sets
Complement of sets
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Cartesian product of sets
A p NOW Difference of sets
Formulas
Properties
Examples
FAQs
Definition of Sets
Sets are represented as a collection of well-defined objects or elements and it does not change from
person to person. A set is represented by a capital letter. The number of elements in the finite set is known
as the cardinal number of a set.
A = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5 }
Since a set is usually represented by the capital letter. Thus, A is the set and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are the elements
of the set or members of the set. The elements that are written in the set can be in any order but cannot be
repeated. All the set elements are represented in small letter in case of alphabets. Also, we can write it as
1 ∈ A, 2 ∈ A etc. The cardinal number of the set is 5. Some commonly used sets are as follows:
Order of Sets
The order of a set defines the number of elements a set is having. It describes the size of a set. The order
of set is also known as the cardinality.
The size of set whether it is is a finite set or an infinite set, said to be set of finite order or infinite order,
respectively.
Also, check:
Representation of Sets
The sets are represented in curly braces, {}. For example, {2,3,4} or {a,b,c} or {Bat, Ball, Wickets}. The
elements in the sets are depicted in either the Statement form, Roster Form or Set Builder Form.
Statement Form
In statement form, the well-defined descriptions of a member of a set are written and enclosed in the curly
brackets.
Roster Form
In Roster form, all the elements of a set are listed.
Solution:
2=2x1
4=2x2
6=2x3
8=2x4
Also, Venn Diagrams are the simple and best way for visualized representation of sets.
Types of Sets
We have several types of sets in Maths. They are empty set, finite and infinite sets, proper set, equal sets,
etc. Let us go through the classification of sets here.
Empty Set
A set which does not contain any element is called an empty set or void set or null set. It is denoted by { }
or Ø.
A set of apples in the basket of grapes is an example of an empty set because in a grapes basket there are
no apples present.
Singleton Set
Singleton Set
A set which contains a single element is called a singleton set.
Finite set
A set which consists of a definite number of elements is called a finite set.
A = {1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10}
Infinite set
A set which is not finite is called an infinite set.
A = {1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9……}
Equivalent set
If the number of elements is the same for two different sets, then they are called equivalent sets. The
order of sets does not matter here. It is represented as:
n(A) = n(B)
where A and B are two different sets with the same number of elements.
In set A, there are four elements and in set B also there are four elements. Therefore, set A and set B are
equivalent.
Equal sets
The two sets A and B are said to be equal if they have exactly the same elements, the order of elements do
not matter.
A=B
Disjoint Sets
The two sets A and B are said to be disjoint if the set does not contain any common element.
Example: Set A = {1,2,3,4} and set B = {5,6,7,8} are disjoint sets, because there is no common element
between them.
Subsets
A set ‘A’ is said to be a subset of B if every element of A is also an element of B, denoted as A ⊆ B. Even
the null set is considered to be the subset of another set. In general, a subset is a part of another set.
Example: A = {1,2,3}
Then {1,2} ⊆ A.
Proper Subset
If A ⊆ B and A ≠ B, then A is called the proper subset of B and it can be written as A⊂B.
Superset
Set A is said to be the superset of B if all the elements of set B are the elements of set A. It is represented
as A ⊃ B.
For example, if set A = {1, 2, 3, 4} and set B = {1, 3, 4}, then set A is the superset of B.
Universal Set
A set which contains all the sets relevant to a certain condition is called the universal set. It is the set of all
possible values.
Example: If A = {1,2,3} and B {2,3,4,5}, then universal set here will be:
U = {1,2,3,4,5}
Operations on Sets
In set theory, the operations of the sets are carried when two or more sets combine to form a single set
under some of the given conditions. The basic operations on sets are:
Union of sets
Intersection of sets
A complement of a set
Cartesian product of sets.
Set difference
Basically, we work more on union and intersection of sets operations, using Venn diagrams.
Union of Sets
If set A and set B are two sets, then A union B is the set that contains all the elements of set A and set B. It
is denoted as A ∪ B.
Example: Set A = {1,2,3} and B = {4,5,6}, then A union B is:
A ∪ B = {1,2,3,4,5,6}
Intersection of Sets
If set A and set B are two sets, then A intersection B is the set that contains only the common elements
between set A and set B. It is denoted as A ∩ B.
A ∩ B = { } or Ø
Since A and B do not have any elements in common, so their intersection will give null set.
Complement of Sets
The complement of any set, say P, is the set of all elements in the universal set that are not in set P. It is
denoted by P’.
1. P ∪ P′ = U
2. P ∩ P′ = Φ
3. Law of double complement : (P′ )′ = P
4. Laws of empty/null set(Φ) and universal set(U), Φ′ = U and U′ = Φ.
A × B = {(a, b) : a ∈ A and b ∈ B}
A × B = {(1,Bat),(1,Ball),(2,Bat),(2,Ball),(3,Bat),(3,Ball)}
Difference of Sets
If set A and set B are two sets, then set A difference set B is a set which has elements of A but no
elements of B. It is denoted as A – B.
A – B = {1}
Sets Formulas
Some of the most important set formulas are:
n( A – B) + n( A ∩ B ) = n(A)
n( B – A) + n( A ∩ B ) = n(B)
n( A – B) + n ( A ∩ B) + n( B – A) = n ( A ∪ B )
Download Free PDFs for Daily Practice Problems and Worksheet for Sets
Worksheet – SET 1
Video Lesson
Properties of Sets
Commutative Property :
A∪B = B∪A
A∩B = B∩A
Associative Property :
A ∪ ( B ∪ C) = ( A ∪ B) ∪ C
A ∩ ( B ∩ C) = ( A ∩ B) ∩ C
Distributive Property :
A ∪ ( B ∩ C) = ( A ∪ B) ∩ (A ∪ C)
A ∩ ( B ∪ C) = ( A ∩ B) ∪ ( A ∩ C)
De morgan’s Law :
Law of union : ( A ∪ B )’ = A’ ∩ B’
Law of intersection : ( A ∩ B )’ = A’ ∪ B’
Complement Law :
A ∪ A’ = A’ ∪ A =U
A ∩ A’ = ∅
A∪A=A
A∩A=A
∅’ = U
∅ = U’
Example of Sets
Here are a few examples, given to represent the elements of a set.
Example 1:
Solution:
Example 2:
Solution:
A U B = {a, b, c, d}
A ⋂ B = {c, d} and
A – B = {a, b}
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