IGCSE Mathematics – Sets Exercises

Fully Solved with Answers & Explanations

SECTION 1 – Sets and Set Notation: Exercises

Exercise 1 – Describe and extend the sets

1a) {South Africa, Namibia, Egypt, Angola, …}
i) Description: These are countries in Africa (or countries on the African continent).
ii) Two more elements: e.g. Zimbabwe, Ghana (any African countries)
iii) Finite or infinite? Finite — there is a fixed, countable number of countries in Africa.
Explanation: A set is finite if its elements can be counted and the count ends. Africa has 54 countries — finite.

1b) {1, 4, 9, 16, 25, …}

i) Description: These are square numbers (perfect squares: 1², 2², 3², 4², 5², …).
ii) Two more elements: 36, 49 (i.e. 6² and 7²)
iii) Finite or infinite? Infinite — there is no largest square number.
Explanation: Square numbers continue forever since you can always square a larger integer.

Exercise 1 Part 1 – Describe and give two more elements

a) {Asia, Africa, Europe, …}
i) Elements are continents of the world.
ii) Two more: Antarctica, Australia (or South America, North America)

b) {2, 4, 6, 8, …}
i) Even positive integers (multiples of 2).
ii) 10, 12

c) {Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, …}

i) Days of the week.
ii) Wednesday, Thursday

d) {January, March, July, …}

i) Months of the year with 31 days.
ii) August, October

e) {1, 3, 6, 10, …}
i) Triangular numbers (1, 1+2, 1+2+3, …).
ii) 15, 21

f) {Mehmet, Michael, Mustapha, Matthew, …}

i) Male names beginning with the letter M.
ii) e.g. Marcus, Mohammed

g) {11, 13, 17, 19, …}

i) Prime numbers between 10 and 20 (or prime numbers greater than 10).
ii) 23, 29

h) {a, e, i, …}
i) Vowels of the English alphabet.
ii) o, u

i) {Earth, Mars, Venus, …}

i) Planets in the Solar System.
ii) Jupiter, Saturn

j) A = {x: 3 ≤ x ≤ 12}
Answer: A = {3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12}
Explanation: List all integers from 3 to 12 inclusive. n(A) = 10.

k) S = {y: −5 ≤ y ≤ 5}
Answer: S = {−5, −4, −3, −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
Explanation: All integers from −5 to 5 inclusive. n(S) = 11.

Exercise 2 – Cardinality n(A)

Give the value of n(A) for each set in Q.1 a–k:
a) {South Africa, Namibia, Egypt, Angola, …} n(A) = 54 (54 countries in Africa)
b) {1, 4, 9, 16, 25, …} n(A) = ∞ (infinite set)
j) A = {3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12} n(A) = 10
k) S = {−5,…,5} n(S) = 11
Explanation: n(A) means the number of elements (cardinality) of set A. For infinite sets, n(A) = ∞.

SECTION 2 – Subsets

Exercise 1 – P = {whole numbers less than 30}

a) List subset Q {even numbers}.
Q = {2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28}

b) List subset R {odd numbers}.

R = {1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29}

c) List subset S {prime numbers}.

S = {2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29}

d) List subset T {square numbers}.

T = {1, 4, 9, 16, 25}

e) List subset U {triangle numbers}.

U = {1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28}
Explanation: Triangle numbers: 1, 1+2=3, 1+2+3=6, 1+2+3+4=10, 15, 21, 28. Next would be 36 > 30, so stop
at 28.
Exercise 2 – A = {whole numbers between 50 and 70}
a) List subset B {multiples of 5}.
B = {55, 60, 65}
Explanation: Multiples of 5 strictly between 50 and 70: 55, 60, 65. (50 and 70 are excluded — 'between'
means strictly.)

b) List subset C {multiples of 3}.

C = {51, 54, 57, 60, 63, 66, 69}

c) List subset D {square numbers}.

D = {64}
Explanation: 64 = 8². The next squares near this range: 49 (outside), 64 (inside), 81 (outside). So D = {64}.

Exercise 3 – J = {p, q, r}
a) List all the subsets of J.
Subsets: ∅, {p}, {q}, {r}, {p,q}, {p,r}, {q,r}, {p,q,r}
Explanation: A set with 3 elements has 2³ = 8 subsets. They include the empty set ∅ and J itself.

b) List all the proper subsets of J.

Proper subsets: ∅, {p}, {q}, {r}, {p,q}, {p,r}, {q,r}
Explanation: A proper subset is any subset that is NOT equal to the set itself. So exclude {p,q,r}. There are 2³
− 1 = 7 proper subsets.

Exercise 4 – True or False statements

State whether each statement is true or false:
a) {Algeria, Mozambique} ⊆ {countries in Africa} TRUE — both are African countries.
b) {mango, banana} ⊆ {fruit} TRUE — mangoes and bananas are fruit.
c) {1,2,3,4} ⊆ {1,2,3,4} TRUE — every set is a subset of itself.
d) {1,2,3,4} ⊂ {1,2,3,4} FALSE — a proper subset cannot equal the set itself. Use ⊆, not ⊂.
e) {volleyball, basketball} ⊄ {team sport} FALSE — both are team sports, so ⊆ holds; the ⊄
statement is false.
f) {4,6,8,10} ⊄ {4,6,8,10} FALSE — the set is a subset of itself, so ⊄ is incorrect.
g) {potatoes, carrots} ⊆ {vegetables} TRUE — both are vegetables.
h) {12,13,14,15} ⊄ {whole numbers} FALSE — 12,13,14,15 are all whole numbers, so ⊆ holds.
Explanation: ⊆ means 'is a subset of or equal to'. ⊂ means 'is a proper subset of' (strictly smaller). Every set
is a subset of itself but NOT a proper subset of itself.

SECTION 3 – The Universal Set & Complement

b) If ε = {all 3D shapes} and P = {prisms}, what set is represented by P'?

P' = {all 3D shapes except prisms}
Explanation: The complement P' contains all elements in the universal set ε that are NOT in P. Since ε = {all
3D shapes} and P = {prisms}, P' = all 3D shapes that are not prisms (e.g. spheres, pyramids, cylinders, cones,
etc.).
SECTION 4 – Venn Diagrams Exercises

Exercise 1 – Using the Venn diagram (A={5,10,15,20}, B={20,30,40,50})

State true or false for each statement:
a) 5 ∈ A TRUE — 5 is inside circle A.
b) 20 ∈ B TRUE — 20 is in the intersection of A and B, so it belongs to B.
c) 20 ∉ A FALSE — 20 is in the intersection, so it IS in A.
d) 50 ∈ A FALSE — 50 is only in B, not in A.
e) 50 ∉ B FALSE — 50 is in B.
f) A ∩ B = {10, 20} FALSE — only 20 is in the intersection region. A ∩ B = {20}.

Exercise 2 – Complete A ∩ B = {…} for each Venn diagram

a) A = {2,4,6,8,10,13,18}, B = {3,4,6,9,13,18}
A ∩ B = {4, 6, 13, 18}
Explanation: Intersection contains elements in BOTH sets.

b) A = {1,4,16}, B = {1,4,5,6,7,8,9}
A ∩ B = {1, 4}

c) A = {Red, Orange, Blue, Indigo, Violet}, B = {Yellow, Green, Pink}

A ∩ B = {} = ∅ (no common elements)
Explanation: These sets share no elements — they are disjoint.

Exercise 3 – Complete A ∪ B = {…} for the same diagrams

a) A = {2,4,6,8,10,13,18}, B = {3,4,6,9,13,18}
A ∪ B = {2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 13, 18}
Explanation: Union contains all elements that are in A OR B (no duplicates).

b) A = {1,4,16}, B = {1,4,5,6,7,8,9}
A ∪ B = {1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 16}

c) A = {Red,Orange,Blue,Indigo,Violet}, B = {Yellow,Green,Pink}
A ∪ B = {Red, Orange, Blue, Indigo, Violet, Yellow, Green, Pink}

Exercise 4 – Venn diagram: ε elements = {a, b, p, q, r, s, t}

From diagram: A = {p, q, r, s, t}, ε = {a, b, p, q, r, s, t}

a) ε = {…}
ε = {a, b, p, q, r, s, t}

b) A' = {…}
A' = {a, b}
Explanation: A' = ε − A = {a, b, p, q, r, s, t} − {p, q, r, s, t} = {a, b}.
Exercise 5 – Three-set Venn diagram (numbers 1–8 + 6)
From diagram: A only = {5, 7}, A∩B only = {2, 3}, B only = {1, 8}, A∩B∩? — 3 is shared, 4 in B∩?, 6 outside. ε
= {1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8}

a) ε = {…}
ε = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8}

b) A' = {…}
A' = {1, 3, 4, 6, 8} (all elements NOT in A)

c) A ∩ B = {…}
A ∩ B = {2, 3}

d) A ∪ B = {…}
A ∪ B = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8}

e) (A ∩ B)' = {…}
(A ∩ B)' = {1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8}
Explanation: (A ∩ B)' = ε − (A ∩ B) = ε − {2,3}.

f) A ∩ B' = {…}
A ∩ B' = {5, 7}
Explanation: A ∩ B' = elements in A but NOT in B = A-only region = {5, 7}.

Exercise 6 – Three-set diagram with A, B, C (numbers 2–20)

From diagram: A = {2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16}, B = {3,6,9,15}, C = {8,12,16,20}, shared regions as shown.

i) A ∩ B = {…}
A ∩ B = {6, 12}

ii) A ∩ C = {…}
A ∩ C = {8, 12, 16}

iii) B ∩ C = {…}
B ∩ C = {} = ∅

iv) A ∩ B ∩ C = {…}
A ∩ B ∩ C = {12}

v) A ∪ B = {…}
A ∪ B = {2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16}

vi) C ∪ B = {…}
C ∪ B = {3, 6, 8, 9, 12, 15, 16, 20}

Exercise 7 – Venn diagram: A∪B with elements 1–9 and C inside A

From diagram: A = {1,4,5,6,7}, B = {3,4,5,8,9}, C = {6,7} (C ⊂ A), intersection A∩B = {4,5}, element 2 is in B
only.

i) A = {…}
A = {1, 4, 5, 6, 7}
ii) B = {…}
B = {3, 4, 5, 8, 9} (note: 2 is also in B from diagram)

iii) C' = {…}

C' = All elements NOT in C = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9} (everything except 6 and 7)

iv) A ∩ B = {…}
A ∩ B = {4, 5}

v) A ∪ B = {…}
A ∪ B = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9}

vi) (A ∩ B)' = {…}

(A ∩ B)' = {1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9}

b) State the relationship between C and A.

C ⊂ A — C is a proper subset of A. Every element of C is also in A, but A has elements not in C.

Exercise 8 – Three-set Venn diagram W, X, Y, Z

From diagram: W = {1,4,6,7,10}, X = {2,3,6,7,8,9}, Y = {4,5,6,7}, Z = {2,3,7,9}

i) W = {…}
W = {1, 4, 6, 7, 10}

ii) X = {…}
X = {2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9}

iii) Z' = {…}

Z' = All elements NOT in Z = {1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10} (from the diagram's universal set)

iv) W ∩ Z = {…}
W ∩ Z = {7}

v) W ∩ X = {…}
W ∩ X = {6, 7}

vi) Y ∩ Z = {…}
Y ∩ Z = {7}

b) Which of the named sets is a subset of X?

Answer: Z ⊂ X — because all elements of Z = {2,3,7,9} are contained in X = {2,3,6,7,8,9}.
Explanation: Check: Is every element of Z in X? 2∈X ✓, 3∈X ✓, 7∈X ✓, 9∈X ✓. And Z ≠ X. So Z ⊂ X
(proper subset).

SECTION 5 – Venn Diagram Drawing Exercises

1. A = {Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Chad}, B = {Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt}

i) A ∩ B = {Egypt} ← Egypt is in both sets
ii) A ∪ B = {Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Chad, Iran, Iraq, Turkey}
 Explanation: Draw two overlapping circles. Egypt goes in the intersection. Libya, Morocco, Chad in A only;
Iran, Iraq, Turkey in B only.

2. P = {2,3,5,7,11,13,17}, Q = {11,13,15,17,19}
i) P ∩ Q = {11, 13, 17}
ii) P ∪ Q = {2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19}

3. B = {2,4,6,8,10}, A ∪ B = {1,2,3,4,6,8,10}, A ∩ B = {2,4}

A = {1, 2, 3, 4}
Explanation: A must contain 1 and 3 (in A∪B but not B), plus 2 and 4 (the intersection). So A = {1, 2, 3, 4}.

4. X = {a,c,d,e,f,g,l}, Y = {b,c,d,e,h,i,k,l,m}, Z = {c,f,i,j,m}

X ∩ Y = {c, d, e, l}
X ∩ Z = {c, f}
Y ∩ Z = {c, i, m}
X ∩ Y ∩ Z = {c}
Explanation: Draw three overlapping circles. Place each element in the correct region based on which sets it
belongs to.

5. P = {1,4,7,9,11,15}, Q = {5,10,15}, R = {1,4,9}

P ∩ Q = {15}
P ∩ R = {1, 4, 9} → so R ⊂ P
Q∩R=∅
P∩Q∩R=∅
Explanation: R is entirely inside P. Q shares only 15 with P and nothing with R. Draw R as a circle inside P, Q
overlapping only P.

SECTION 6 – Problems Involving Sets

Worked Example context: Students taking physics and chemistry.

Number taking both: 16 (from the Venn diagram shown: the intersection region = 16)
Explanation: Use the formula: n(P∪C) = n(P) + n(C) − n(P∩C). Rearrange to find n(P∩C) = n(P) + n(C) −
n(P∪C).

SECTION 7 – Student Assessment 1

Q1 – Describe the following sets in words:

a) {2, 4, 6, 8}
Answer: The first four positive even numbers (or even numbers from 2 to 8).

b) {2, 4, 6, 8, …}
Answer: Positive even numbers (multiples of 2). Infinite set.
c) {1, 4, 9, 16, 25, …}
Answer: Square numbers (perfect squares: 1², 2², 3², 4², 5², …). Infinite set.

d) {Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific}

Answer: The world's oceans (or the four major oceans).

Q2 – Calculate n(A):
a) A = {days of the week}
n(A) = 7

b) A = {prime numbers between 50 and 60}

A = {53, 59} → n(A) = 2
Explanation: Primes between 50 and 60: 53 and 59. Check: 51=3×17, 52=4×13, 54=2×27, 55=5×11, 56,57,58
all composite.

c) A = {x: x is an integer and 5 ≤ x ≤ 10}

A = {5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10} → n(A) = 6

d) A = {days in a leap year}

n(A) = 366

Q3 – Shade Venn diagram regions:

a) Shade and label the region representing A ∩ B.
Answer: Shade the overlapping (intersection) region between circles A and B.
Explanation: A ∩ B is the region inside BOTH circles simultaneously — the lens-shaped overlap.

b) Shade and label the region representing A ∪ B.

Answer: Shade the entire area covered by either circle A or circle B (or both).
Explanation: A ∪ B includes all of A, all of B, and their intersection.

Q4 – If A = {a, b}, list all subsets of A.

Subsets of A = ∅, {a}, {b}, {a, b}
Explanation: A set with 2 elements has 2² = 4 subsets. Always include the empty set ∅ and the set itself.

Q5 – If ε = {m,a,t,h,s} and A = {a,s}, find A'.

A' = {m, t, h}
Explanation: A' = ε − A = {m,a,t,h,s} − {a,s} = {m,t,h}. The complement contains everything in ε NOT in A.

SECTION 8 – Student Assessment 2

Q1 – Describe the following sets in words:

a) {1, 3, 5, 7}
Answer: The first four positive odd numbers (odd numbers from 1 to 7).
b) {1, 3, 5, 7, …}
Answer: Positive odd numbers. An infinite set.

c) {1, 3, 6, 10, 15, …}

Answer: Triangular numbers. An infinite set.
Explanation: Triangular numbers: T(n) = n(n+1)/2. T1=1, T2=3, T3=6, T4=10, T5=15, …

d) {Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia}

Answer: Countries in South America (specifically landlocked or South American countries).

Q2 – Calculate n(A):
a) A = {months of the year}
n(A) = 12

b) A = {square numbers between 99 and 149}

A = {100, 121, 144} → n(A) = 3
Explanation: 10²=100, 11²=121, 12²=144. 13²=169 > 149, so stop. 9²=81 < 99, excluded.

c) A = {x: x is an integer and −9 ≤ x ≤ −3}

A = {−9, −8, −7, −6, −5, −4, −3} → n(A) = 7

d) A = {students in your class}

n(A) = Depends on your class size (finite set — count your classmates).

Q3 – Shade Venn diagram regions:

a) Shade the region representing ε (the universal set).
Answer: Shade the entire rectangle (the whole universal set box, including everything inside and
outside circles A and B).

b) Shade the region representing (A ∩ B)'.

Answer: Shade everything EXCEPT the intersection of A and B — i.e., shade all regions outside A∩B.
Explanation: (A∩B)' is the complement of the intersection. Everything in ε that is NOT in A∩B simultaneously.

Q4 – If A = {w,o,r,k}, list all subsets with at least 3 elements.

Subsets with ≥ 3 elements: {w,o,r}, {w,o,k}, {w,r,k}, {o,r,k}, {w,o,r,k}
Explanation: A has 4 elements. Choose 3: C(4,3)=4 subsets. Plus the full set: 5 subsets total.

Q5 – If ε = {1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8} and P = {2,4,6,8}, find P'.

P' = {1, 3, 5, 7}
Explanation: P' = ε − P = {1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8} − {2,4,6,8} = {1,3,5,7}. The complement contains the odd numbers.