Sets and Set Operations

UNIT 1 SETS AND SET OPERATIONS*

Structure
1.0 Objectives
1.1 Introduction
1.2 The Concept of a Set
1.3 Subsets, Supersets and Power Sets
1.3.1 Subsets and Supersets
1.3.2 Power Sets
1.4 Operations on Sets
1.4.1 Union of Sets
1.4.2 Intersection of Sets
1.4.3 Difference of Sets
1.4.4 Partition of a Set
1.5 Let Us Sum Up
1.6 Answers/Hints to Check Your Progress Exercises

1.0 OBJECTIVES
After going through this unit, you will be able to:
• define a set;
• explain the concept of subsets, supersets and power sets;
• describe set-operations like union, intersection, difference, etc;
• discuss how sets can be used as the foundation for further ideas in
mathematical economics; and
• analyse ideas in economics using concepts from set theory.

1.1 INTRODUCTION
Applications of some of the concepts developed in mathematics, in discussing
and developing themes in economic theory have been found handy over the
years. In this unit, therefore, we introduce the basic concepts that help develop
the building blocks of analysing and understanding economic theory. The
compact and precise way of presenting ideas can be understood well when we
learn the basic mathematical language and presentation methods. The
following discussion attempts to expose you to the preliminary ideas of a set,
which is the basic building block of much of mathematical analysis. Once you
do this unit, you will be in a position to derive a better understanding of the
material in the subsequent units. The name of this course has the term
mathematical methods, and you will quickly discover that the subject-matter of
this unit is the foundation of all the mathematical methods that follow in this
course. Set theory is the basis of the mathematical language, of trying to think
in a mathematical way. You will discover that you can translate concepts that
you learn in other courses in economics into this language, which may appear
abstract, but nevertheless will help you to develop skills in thinking and
reasoning about economic concepts.
*Contributed by Shri Anup Chatterjee 9
Preliminaries The unit is organised as follows. The next section explain the concepts of sets
in a general way but also gives a precise definition and ways to represent sets.
This section also discusses when two sets can be considered equal and what is
meant by a complement of a set. The section after that describes how sets can
contain or be within other sets and what these formations are: These are used to
explain concepts and ideas about smaller and larger collections of objects,
since, as you will know, sets are nothing but collection of well defined objects.
This section thus discusses what are called subsets, supersets and power sets.
The subsequent section discusses some fundamental set operations, particularly
the union of sets, intersection of sets and difference of sets. The final sub-
section discusses partitions of sets, and how these partitions can be used as
concepts. Throughout the unit, an attempt has been made to provide examples
to facilitate understanding.

1.2 THE CONCEPT OF A SET

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}.
We can speak of the set of the board of directors of a company, the set of
trustees of an institution, the set of employees of a firm, the set of suppliers of a
manufacturer, the set of consumers of a product, the set of accounts of a firm,
so on. But the objects contained in a set need not be as concrete as the ones
already mentioned. They can be abstract concepts such as the set of positive
integers, the set of real numbers, etc. But remember that a set is a well-defined
collection of distinct objects. Suppose we want a set of tall people living near
your home. Unless we define ‘tall’ and ‘near’, we will not be able to correctly
specify such a set. It is customary to require that all members of a set be
distinct; thus when describing a set by listing its members, all duplications
should be deleted.
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". While writing sets we use curly brackets ("{"and"}"), with their
elements listed in between and separated by comma (,). For example, a set of
even numbers could be presented as {2, 4, 6, 8, 10,...}. Note that the dots at the
end of this example indicate that the set goes on infinitely.
In a set you can have as many elements as you would like. For instance, put the
letters of the English alphabet {a, b, c, d, e,…} in a set, so that you have 26
elements or, keep vowels {a, e, i, o, u} only to form a set of 5 elements.
Cardinality of a Set
The number of elements in a set may be finite or infinite. Sets such as the set
of employees of a firm, the set of suppliers of a manufacturer, and other
examples from the business world are finite, because we can enumerate the
10
elements of each set in some order, by counting its elements one by one until a Sets and Set Operations
last element is reached. On the other hand, the set of positive integers {1, 2,
3,….,} is infinite because the process of counting can never end. Practical
business problems may involve infinite sets.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.
We shall follow the general practice of denoting sets with capital letters.
Lowercase letters will be used to denote elements of a set. For example, let x be
Mr. Sumant and J the set of directors on the board of Mega International Ltd.
Then x∈J indicates that Mr. Sumant is a member of the board of directors of
Mega International Ltd. and x∉ J indicates that he is not.
Specifying a Set
We mentioned above briefly how a set is defined in terms of its members and
its cardinality. To repeat, sets can be described by listing its members within
curly brackets or braces { } with a comma separating the members. This
method of specifying a set is called the Roster or Tabular method. The roster
method consists of enclosing in braces a list of the elements in the set.Here we
merely list the elements of a set. However, the order in which the elements are
listed does not matter. For instance, in the set of vowels, it does not matter
whether within the curly brackets we write a, e, i, o, u or u, a, o, e, i.
Example: Let a, b, c, d, e and f be the elements of a set P representing the
different products manufactured by a company R. By the roster method this set
may be denoted by
P = {a, b, c, d, e, f }
However, this method of specifying a set may not always be easy, particularly
if the number of elements in a set is large (or infinite! It is difficult to specify
the set of natural numbers in this manner). So another method is usually used
and you will come across this way of specifying sets in Economics. This
method is called the Set-builder or Defining-property method. The set-builder
method consists of stating in braces the rule or condition on the basis of which
it can be determined whether or not a given object is an element of the set. This
consists of denoting a generic element of the set, then putting a colon (:) or a
vertical bar “|” and after the colon or vertical bar, writing the basic property or
characteristic of the generic element of the set. The colon or vertical bar stands
for “such that” or “for which.”
Example: Consider the previously specified set P of products manufactured by
a company R. As per the set-builder method, set P may be specified as
follows:
11
Preliminaries P = {x|x is a product manufactured by the company R}
It is read as “P is the set of those elements x such that x is a product
manufactured by the company R.”
The symbol x denotes any one element of set P.
Example: {x | x is a letter in the word stock} is read “the set of all x such that x
is a letter in the word stock.” This set can also be described by listing its
elements as {s, t, o, c, k}.
Examples of Sets
1) N = {1, 2, 3,….} , the set of all natural numbers;
2) Z = {0, − 1, + 1, − 2, + 2,...} , the set of all integers;

3) Q = {p/q :p, q∈ Z} , the set of all rational numbers;

Q+ = {r ∈ Q : r > 0} , the set of all positive rational numbers;

4) R = {x :x is a real number}, the set of all real numbers;

+
R = { x ∈ R : x > 0} , the set of all positive real numbers;

5) C = {x :x is a + ib, a, b∈ },the set of all complex numbers.

There are some sets which are used repeatedly in Mathematics and symbols N,
Z, Q, Q+, R, R+ and C are standard symbols. We will make use of them in
further discussion.
Empty Set
A set with no element in it is called an empty set or the null set or the void set,
and is denoted by the symbol ɸ. Example, A = {x: x ∈ N and 2 <x< 3}. Here, A
is an empty set because there is no natural number lying between 2 and 3, or
satisfying the above condition. Hence, we can write: A = ɸ or A = {}.
Obviously cardinality of an empty set is zero, that is, |ɸ| = 0. Note that if a set
has only 0 as a member, it is not an empty set; it has one element or member,
namely, 0.
Note:
1) If ‘a’ is an element of set A, we can symbolically represent it as a∈ A. If b
is not an element of set A, it can be denoted as b∉ A.
2) Elements of a set can themselves be sets. If we want to emphasise that the
elements of the set are also sets, we denote the set by script capital letter,
such as: X = {A, B, C, …}, where A, B , C ,... are subsets.
Let us now discuss a bit about relationship between two sets. In this section we
will discuss two types of relationships among sets. First about when two set are
equal, and second, about the complement of a set.
Equality of Sets
Two sets are considered equal if they have the same elements. Let A =
{1, 2, 3, 5} and B = {1, 2, 3, 5} . Then we can conclude that A = B, i.e.,A and B
have the same elements.
Thus, the order in which the elements of the sets are listed does not matter. For
instance,
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ifA = {m, n, p} and B = {n, p, m}, then A = B. Sets and Set Operations

Example: If A is the set {1, 2, 3, 4} and B is the set{x | x is a positive integer

and x2< 25}, then A = B.
Check Your Progress 1
1) Write down the following in set builder notation:
a) The set of all real numbers greater than 43;
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b) The set of all real numbers greater than 18 but less than 57.
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2) Given the sets A = {2,4,6}, B = {7,2,6}, C = {4,2,6} and D = {2,4},
which of the following is true?
a) A = D b) 6 ∈C c) ɸ ∈C d) C = A
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1.3 SUBSETS, SUPERSETS AND POWER SETS

This section deals with sets that have sets contained in them or are themselves
contained in other sets. Concepts of subsets, supersets and power sets are being
introduced in this section of the unit. Also we see how we can combine subsets
to make statements about relationships among sets.
1.3.1 Subsets and Supersets
Let A = {1, 2, 3} ; B = {1, 2, 3, 5, 7 } .

We say that A is a subset of B and write A ⊆ B if every element of A is also an

element of B. Alternatively, we also say that A is included in B or B includes A
or B is a superset of A, denoted by B ⊇ A.

13
Preliminaries Note:
1) From the above explanation we can make out that every set is a subset of
itself, i.e., A⊂A. Also since an empty set ɸ has no elements, it can be
concluded that ɸ is a subset of every set.
2) A⊂B just implies that each element in A is in B. This does not deny the
possibility that every element of B may or may not be in A. But, if every
element of B is also in A, then we have B ⊂A. Then we can say that A and
B are equal sets, i.e., we have A⊂B and B⊂A⇔A = B.
Note: Symbol ‘⇔’ used in the above statement is called ‘double
implication’. It is a mix of ⟹and ⟸. Using the symbol ⇔ between two
statements would mean that both these statements are equivalent.
3) If set A is not a subset of B, we write A⊄B. This would mean that A
contains at least one element which is not present in B.
Proper Subset
Let A = {1, 2, 3} ; B = {1, 2, 3, 5} .

We say that A is a proper subset of B , denoted by A⊂ B, when A ⊂ B and

A ≠ B . See that there exists at least one element b ∈ B such that b ∉ A . In set
B, 5 is an element which is not present in A. So A is a proper subset of B.
Example: Let Q be the set representing all managing directors in India. Also,
let P = {x | x is a managing director of Ranbaxy Ltd.}
Then, P ⊂ Q.
The notion of subsets is graphically illustrated below. These are called Venn
diagrams.

Figure 1.1

In figure 1.1, set B is entirely within set A, so B ⊂ A .

14 Figure 1.2
In figure 1.2, set A and set B have nothing in common i.e., they do not intersect Sets and Set Operations
∩ = ɸ , so we could write, A ⊄ B and B ⊄ A .

Figure 1.3

In figure 1.3, some of set B is in set A, but not all of set B is in set A, so we
could write B ⊄ A
Universal Set
Usually, the set-builder method is denoted in a particular way. In any analysis
of a particular situation, a fixed collection of elements is defined, which is
called the Universal set, denoted by U, sometimes by E. This set consists of all
the elements under discourse. Then a particular set is specified by referring to
the universal set. Let the universal set U be the set of natural numbers. Then
the set of natural numbers may be denoted by U = {x|x is a natural number}.
We can say that A = {2,4,6,8…} is a set of all even natural numbers. Similarly,
B = {1,3,5,7,..} is a set of all odd natural numbers. We can define another set,
C = {3,6,9,12…}, which is a set of natural numbers divisible by 3. All these,
A, B, and C, are subsets of N = {1,2,3,4…}, a set of natural numbers, which
will be called the universal set for A, B and C.
1.3.2 Power Sets
Let X = {2, 3}. Consider all its subsets, {2}, {3}, {2, 3} the set itself, and ɸ,
i.e., the empty set. Then set{ɸ, {2}, {3}, {2, 3}} is the power set of X. Thus,
for any set X, the set of all its subsets is called the power set of X and is
denoted by P ( X ) . That is, we define

P ( X ) = {A : A ⊂ X }

On the basis of the above definitions, we can prove the following propositions.
If A and B be any sets, then
1) A = B if and only if A ⊂ B and B ⊂ A
2) A ⊂ A and φ ⊂ A

3) A ∈ P ( A ) and φ ∈ P ( A )

4) P (φ ) = {φ } . [ P (φ ) is not empty, it has exactly one element, the φ .]

You can always find the number of possible subsets from a given set
A = {1, 3, 5, 7, 9} and work out the subsets. The possible subsets are:

i) A0 = {1,3,5, 7,9} ( A is a subset of A by definition of subset)

15
Preliminaries ii) A11 = {1} , A12 = {3} , A13 = {5} , A14 = {7} , A15 = {9}
iii) A21 = {1,3} , A22 = {1, 5} , A23 = {1, 7} , A24 = {1,9} , A25 = {3, 5} , A26 = {3, 7}
A27 = {3,9} , A28 = {5, 7} , A29 = {5,9} , A20 = {7,9}
iv) A31 = {1,3,5} , A32 = {1,3, 7} , A33 = {1,3, 9} , A34 = {1,5, 7} ,
A35 = {1,5,9} , A36 = {1, 7, 9} A37 = {3, 5, 7} , A38 = {3,5,9} ,
A39 = {3, 7, 9} , A30 = {5, 7,9}
v) A41 = {1,3, 5, 7} , A42 = {1,3, 5,9} , A43 = {1, 3, 7, 9} , A44 = {1,5, 7,9} ,
A45 = {3, 5, 7, 9}
vi) Φ = { }.
When we count all these subsets, the total number of these is 32. How to count
these subsets? Take 2 5 = 32. In general, if a set has n elements, a total of 2 n
subsets can be formed.
Example: If A = {h, I, j, k, l}, then
X = {I, j, l} is a subset of A
Y = {h, l} is a subset of A
Z = {I, j} is a subset of A and also a subset of X.
Check Your Progress 2
1) Given a set {a, b, c}, generate all possible subsets. How many subsets are
there?
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2) Define the relationships (⊆, ⊂, = , if any, among the following sets:

= :0 ≤ ≤1
= :0 < <1
= :0 ≤ <1
= :0 ≤ ≤1
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3) Explain the concept of a Power Set. Sets and Set Operations

……………………………………………………………………………….
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1.4 OPERATIONS ON SETS

In ordinary arithmetic and algebra, there are four common operations that can
be performed; namely, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. With
sets, however, mainly two operations are defined. These are set union and set
intersection. Of course there is one more difference, which is also described.
Both of these operations are described, with examples below.
1.4.1 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}
{5, 7, 9,11,13}
B =
A ∪ 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.
Example
A = {all the books written by Charles Dickens}
B = {all the books written by Mark Twain}
A ∪ B = {all books written by either Charles Dickens or Mark Twain}
Example
Let A = {1, 2, 3, 4} and B = {3, 4, 7, 8}
Then, A ∪ B = {1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8}
Notice that in the set A ∪ B, we include the elements 3 and 4 only once even
though they belong to both sets A and B.
1.4.2 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}
Example
A = {1, 3, 5, 7, 9}
B = {2, 3, 4, 5, 6} 17
Preliminaries The elements they have in common are 3 and 5.
A∩ B = {3,5}
Example A = {The English alphabet}
B = {vowels}
So A ∩ B = {vowels}
Example
A = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
B = {6, 7, 8, 9, 10}
In this case A and B have nothing in common. As you know we have a symbol
for this situation— ∅, i.e., the "empty set." This symbol has no set brackets
around it, because it literally means a set with nothing in it. Symbolically, ∅ =
{}.

Therefore, A ∩ B = ∅
The intersection of three or more sets is a natural extension of the above. If A,
B, and C are any three sets, then A∩B∩C is the set containing all the elements
that lie in all three sets.
Example
If A = {m, n, o, p}, B = {m, o, p, q}, C = {n, q, r} with a universal set defined
as {k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s}, then
A ∩ B ∩ C has no elements in common i.e., A ∩ B ∩ C = ∅.
Example
Let A = {1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 11}; B = {2, 7, 9, 11, 17, 19}; C = {0, 2, 5, 7, 19, 24}
and D = {2, 7, 9}
Then, A ∩ B ∩ C ∩ D = {2, 7}
Example
Let A = {x | x∈ R and 0 ≤x≤ 7} and B= {x | x∈ R and 3 ≤x≤ 9}
Then, A ∩ B={x | x∈ R and 3 ≤x≤ 7}
Disjoint Sets
A and B are called disjoint sets if A ∩ B = φ , i.e., when both the sets have no
element in common.
1.4.3 Difference of Sets
The difference of sets A and B, denoted by A/B or A ‒ B, is the set of elements
which belong to A but not B. Symbolically, A ‒ B= {x : x ∈ and ∉ B}. We
also say that A B is the complement of B with respect to A.

Complement of a Set
Recall the concept of a Universal set. Let A be any subset of a universal set U.
Then the complement of A, denoted by A′ or Ac, is the set of elements of U
which are not members of A. In symbols, the definition of the complement is
A′= {x∈ U |x∈A}, read “not A is the set of those elements x of U for which x is
not an element of A.”
18
For example, if we were considering the set of skilled workers (say S) on a Sets and Set Operations
production line, it might be convenient to consider the universal set (U) as all
the workers on the line. Then, S′ would be all the workers that were not skilled,
i.e., the set of unskilled workers.
With B as any set and U the universal set, then U ‒ B is called the complement
of B and is denoted by B’ , symbolically, U ‒ B = {x : x∈ %and ∉ B}.
Example
If A = { m, n, o, p }, B = { m, o, p, q }, C = { m, p, r }, and the universal set is
defined as
E = { k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s }, then
a) A ∪ B = { m, n, o, p, q }
b) A ∪ C = { m, n, o, p, r }
c) B ∪ C = {m, o, p, q, r }
d) A ∪ B ∪ C = {m, n, o, p, q, r }
e) (A∪ B)′ = {k, l, r, s } which is describing all the elements that are not in
A∪B but are in the universal set E.
Set operations— union, intersection and complements can be visualised well in
terms of what are called Venn Diagrams. See the figures below. In figure 1.4,
the points in the upper circle form set A whereas, the points in the lower circle
form set B. Then A ∪ B consists of the shaded area covering both the circles.
We have presented the operation of intersection in the figure 1.5. The shaded
area indicates A ∩ B . That is, this area is common to both A and B. In the figure
1.6, the shaded region represents the difference operation between set A and set
B, i.e., A –B. Now in figure 1.7, consider the rectangle to be the universal set U.
With A representing the set of points in the circle, the complement of set A (i.e.,
A’) is the shaded area outside the circle.

Union Intersection Difference Complement

A A A U

A’
A

B B B

Figure 1.4 Figure 1.5 Figure 1.6 Figure 1.7

We now state some basic relationships among sets involving union,

intersection and difference:
The following rules or laws can be proved easily (but we avoid, as that would
be beyond the scope of the unit).
Commutativity, Associativity, Distributivity
1) The union and the intersection are Commutative and Associative
operations: 19
Preliminaries i) A ∪ B = B ∪ A , ( A ∪ B) ∪ C = A ∪ (B ∪ C )

ii) A ∩ B = B ∩ A , ( A ∩ B) ∩ C = A ∩ (B ∩ C )

2) The union is distributive with respect to the intersection and the

intersection is distributive with respect to the union:
i) A∪ (B ∩ C) = ( A ∪ B) ∩ ( A ∪ C )
ii) A∩ (B ∪ C) = ( A ∩ B) ∪ ( A ∩ C )
3) De Morgan's laws
The law says that the complement of the union of two sets is the
intersection of the complements of the two sets; similarly, the
complement of the intersection of two sets is the union of their
complements. Symbolically,
C ( A ∪ B ) = (C A) ∩ ( C B ) C ( A ∩ B ) = (C A) ∪ ( C B )
,
1.4.4 Partition of a Set
A partition of the Universal Set U is a collection of disjoint subsets of U, the
union of which is U. Suppose we have n subsets () , * = 1,2, … , -; such that,
() ∩ (. = ∅, i ,j = 1, 2,…, n and (/ ∪ ( ∪ (1 ∪ … ∪ (2 =U, then these
subsets form a partition of U. The important thing is that each element of U lies
in one and only one of the subsets. Let us denote this collection of subsets by S,
and let the union of the n subsets be denoted by ⋃2)4/ () . Then we have,
5 = 6() ⊆ U: ⋃2)4/ () = U8-9() ∩ (. = :, *, ; = 1, … , -, * ≠ ;=is a partition of
U.
Example: For universal set U = {1,2,3,4,5,6}, sets X1 = {1,2}, X2 = {3,5,6}
and X3 = {4} are partitions, because:
X1∩ X2 = X2∩ X3 = X1 ∩ X3 = :, and X1∪ X2∪ X3 = U.
You can find several other examples:
i) Set of the States in a Nation are partitions of Nation.
ii) Set of Nations in a Continent give us partitions of the Continent.
Note: A universal set U can have many partitions.
You can think of the partition of any set A as a collection of disjoint subjects of
A, the union of which is A.
Check Your Progress 3
1) Let A be the set of letters in the word ‘trivial’. Let B be the set of letters in
the word ‘difficult’. Find A ∪B, A∩B.
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20
2) If X = Y, show that X –Y = Y – X = Ø Sets and Set Operations

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……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
3) Let a consumer’s consumption set be given by = /, : / ≥ 0, ≥0
And her budget set is given by
= /, : ?/ / +? ≤A
Where x1 and x2 are the quantities of goods consumed, p1, p2> 0 are the
prices and m> 0 is the income. What would be ⋃ and B⋂ ?
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
4) If A = {1, 2}, B = {3, 4, 5} and C = {3, 5, 6, 7, 8}, show that
A∪ B = B ∪A
(A ∩B )∩ C = A ∩ (B ∩ C)
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….

1.5 LET US SUM UP

You have just finished reading the first unit of the course. This unit on sets
introduced concepts which are the building blocks of the rest of the course. The
ability to grasp the ideas of set theory will go a long way to enable you to
understand and work with the concepts of mathematical economics that you
will encounter in the rest of the course. Set theory is the foundation for the
whole course as well as the other course in mathematical economics that you
will study in the next semester.
The unit began by giving a definition of a set, and how sets are notated. You
learnt how to specify sets in roster form and in set-builder form. The unit then
explained the meaning of a subset, a superset and power set. You were also
familiarised with the concept of the universal set and the complement of a set.
Subsequently the unit explained how sets are combined by union, intersection
and the difference operations. The unit ended with a discussion on partition of
sets.
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Preliminaries
1.6 ANSWERS/HINTS TO CHECK YOUR
PROGRESS EXERCISES
Check You Progress 1
1) Read section 1.2 about specifying a set.
2) Only statement (a) is not true.
Check Your Progress 2
1) There are 23 that is, 8 subsets.
2) Read section 1.3 carefully.
3) The power set of a set is the set containing all the subsets of that set.
Check Your Progress 3

1) A ∪B = {t, r, i, v, a, l, d, f, c, u} and A∩B = {t, i, l}.

2) Refer section 1.4
3) ∪ = ; ∩ = .
4) Refer section 1.4

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