Sets
 

Set notation for KS4



A set denotes a group of different elements. Elements of a set can be numbers, letters, vehicles, fruits, etc., which we combine into a set and are connected by some common property.


A set is a group of elements that are united by a certain property. We mark it with capital letters:




its elements are written in curly brackets.



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Element of a set



Each individual unit of a set is called an element of the set.


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If the set A contains the element a, this is written with the symbols:




and we read: a is an element of the set A.


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If the set A does not contain the element x, write this as:




and we read: x is not an element of the set A.


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Empty or null set



If the set A does not contain any elements, this is written with the symbols:




but




and we say that A is an empty set.


Types of sets



Sets are divided into:

  • finite (have finite many elements)

  • infinite (have infinitely many elements)


Universal set



A universe or universal set is a set from which we choose elements. It can be a finite or an infinite set.


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A subset of the set



A subset or partial set of the set is such a set if each element of the set is also contained in the set . The set B, which is a subset of the set A, is denoted by:






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Power set



The power set of a set is the set of all its subsets. The elements of a power set are therefore sets. The power set of the set A is denoted by:




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Formula for the power set



The power set is the number of subsets that the set contains. The label is:




and we read: the power of the set A.


Let's add the following statements:

  • If a set A has n elements, the power set of its set is .


  • The power of the union of sets A and B is equal to the sum of the power of both sets minus the power of the intersection of the sets (the number of elements contained in both A and B) :




  • If a set has as many elements as natural numbers, we say that it is countably infinite. Its power is aleph zero (the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet):




Cardinality of a set



The cardinality of a set refers to the number of elements n a set has.


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Equality of the set



The sets and are the same if the set is a subset of the set , at the same time the set is also a subset of the set :




Illustrating sets



We illustrate the set with Venn diagrams. We denote the universe or universal set by a rectangle, and the sets by closed curves.


Venn diagram



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Drawing result:


Venn diagram



Now we can read the solution from the diagram:





material editor: Blessing Nwika