Mathematics – I- Subsidiary
Course Code: MATH123
Dr. Sumit Kaur Bhatia
[email protected] Department of Mathematics
Amity Institute of Applied Science
Amity University, Uttar Pradesh
Noida, Uttar Pradesh
India
July 1, 2020
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Brief outline of the lecture
Set Theory
Representation of Sets
Classification of sets
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Learning Outcomes
After this lecture student will be able to identify sets.
After this lecture student will be able to represent sets.
After this lecture student will be able to classify sets.
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SET THEORY
The theory of sets was developed by German mathematician George
Cantor(1845-1918). A set is defined as:
Definition
A set is a collection of well-defined objects which are called members or
elements of that set.
By well-defined it is meant that the criteria for determining the members
of the set should not be subjective.
Example
The collection of students who speak the truth. Is it well defined? Perhaps
not.
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Examples of Sets used particularly in mathematics:
N : the set of all natural numbers
Z : the set of all integers
Q : the set of all rational numbers
R : the set of all real numbers
Z+ : the set of all positive integers
Q+ : the set of all positive rational numbers
R+ : the set of all positive real numbers
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Remark
(i) Objects, elements and members of a sets are synonymous.
(ii) Sets are usually denoted by capital letters A, B, X, Y etc.
(iii) The elements of a set are represented by small letters a, b, x, y etc.
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Representing Sets
There are two methods of representing a set:
1 Roster or tabular form
2 Set builder form
Roster Form: In roster form, all the elements of a set are listed, the
elements are being separated by commas and all enclosed within braces{}.
Example
Consider the sets of all vowels in the English alphabets, it is described in
roster form as {a, e, i, o, u}.
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Remark
(i) In roster form, the order in which the elements are listed is immaterial.
(ii) In roster form, an element is not generally repeated i.e. all the
elements are taken as distinct.
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Set Builder Form: In this form, all the elements of a set posses a single
common property which is not possessed by any element outside the set.
Example
Consider the set {a, e, i, o, u}, in this set all the elements posses a
common property, i.e., each of them is a vowel in the English alphabet and
no other letter posses this property.This set can be written as
V ={x : x is a vowel in English Alphabet}
Remark
In set builder form, the element of the set is denoted by x(other letters
can also be used to denote the element) which is followed by colon “:”
after which we write the characteristic property possessed by the elements
of the set and then enclose the whole description within braces.
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Example
1 A = {x : x is a natural number and 1 < x < 5}
2 B = {x : x is a natural number which divides 32 }
Example
Write the solution set of the equation x 2 − 5x + 6 = 0.
Solution: The given equation is x 2 − 5x + 6 = 0
⇒ (x − 2)(x − 3) = 0
⇒ x = 2, 3
Therefore, the solution set in roster form is {2, 3}.
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Example
Write the set {x : x is a positive integer and x 2 < 50} in the roster form.
Solution: The required numbers are 1,2,3,4,5,6,7. So the set in roster
form is {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7}.
Example
Write the set A = {1, 4, 9, 16, . . .} in set builder form.
Solution: We may write the set A as,
A = {x : x is the square of a natural number}
Alternatively, it can be written as A = {x : x = n2 , where n ∈ N}
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Exercises
1 Which of the following are sets? Justify your answers.
I The collection of all alphabets of English language.
I The collection of ten most talented actors.
I A collection of five best IPL teams.
2 List all the elements of the following sets:
I A = {x : x is an integer, x 2 < 16}
I B = {x : x is a letter in the word ALGEBRA}
I C = {x : x is a month of a year having 31 days}
3 Write the following sets in set builder form:
I {3, 6, 9, 12}
I {1, 3, 5, 7, . . .}
I {5, 25, 125, 625}
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Classification of Sets
Definition
Empty Set: A set which does not contain any element is called the empty
set or null set or void set. It is denoted by {} or φ.
Few examples of empty set are as follows:
A = {x : 1 < x < 2, x is a natural number}
B = {x : x 2 − 8 = 0, x is a rational number}
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Definition
Finite and Infinite Set: A set which is empty or consists of a definite
number of elements is called finite, otherwise the set is infinite.
Example
Let M be the set of months of the year. Then M is finite.
Let P be the set of points on a line. Then P is infinite.
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Definition
Equivalent Sets: Two sets A and B are said to be equivalent if they have
exactly the same number of elements and it is expressed as A ≡ B.
Definition
Equal Sets: Two sets A and B are said to be equal if they have exactly
the same elements and it is expressed as A = B. Otherwise, the sets are
said to be unequal and it is written as A 6= B.
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Consider the following examples:
Let A= {x, y , z, w } and B= {w , y , x, z} then A = B.
Let A be the set of prime numbers less than 6 and B be the set of
prime factors of 30. Then A = {2, 3, 5} and B = {2, 3, 5}. Clearly
A=B
Remark
A set does not change if one or more elements of the set are repeated.
For example:A = {a, b, c} and B = {a, a, b, b, b, c} are equal, since each
element of A is in B and vice versa. This is why generally elements are not
repeated in describing a set.
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Example
Find a pair of equal sets; if any in the following sets.
(i) A = {2, 3}
(ii) B = {y : y is a letter in the word WOLF}
(iii) C = {x : x is a solution of the equation x 2 + 5x + 6 = 0}
(iv) D = {y : y is a letter in the word FOLLOW}
Solution: The sets can be written in roster form as follows:
(i) A = {2, 3} (ii) B = {W , O, L, F } (iii) C = {−2, −3} (iv)
D = {F , O, L, W }
So, A 6= B, A 6= C , A 6= D, B 6= C , C 6= D but B = D
Thus, only pair of equal sets are B and D.
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Exercises
1 Which of the following are examples of null set?
I Set of even prime numbers.
I {x : x is a natural number,x < 4andx > 5}
2 State whether each of the following sets is finite or infinite.
I The set of lines which are parallel to y − axis.
I The set of numbers which are divisible by 3.
I The set of circles passing through origin.
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Thank You !!
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