DISCOVER!
What is a Set?
A set is a well-defined collection of distinct objects, considered as an object
in its own right. These objects are called elements or members of the set.
Sets are fundamental tools for organizing and classifying data, defining relationships,
and solving problems across various fields. They allow us to group related items, define
connections like subsets, unions, and intersections, and provide a framework for logical
reasoning through Venn diagrams. In mathematics, sets form the basis for defining numbers
and functions, while in computer science, they are essential for data structures, algorithm
design, and database management, enabling efficient membership testing and operations. From
e-commerce and social networking to search engines, sets help us analyze and manipulate
data effectively, making them indispensable in both theoretical and practical applications.
Some Example of Sets:
A set of all positive integers.
A set of all the planets in the solar system.
A set of all the lowercase letters of the alphabet.
WHATS MORE?
There are two ways representation of a set. We have; Roster or Tabular Form and Set Builder
Notation.
Roster Method
Listing all the elements within curly braces {}.
Example:
Set of vowels in English alphabet, A={a,e,i,o,u}
Set of even numbers less than 10, B = {2,4,6,8}
Set-Builder Notation
Defining the set by specifying a property that all its elements must satisfy
Example:
B = {x | x is an even number and 0 < x < 10}
This reads as "B is the set of all x such that x is an even number and x is greater than 0
and less than 10.
:A = { x | x ∈ ℕ, x is even, and x < 15 }
Set of Even Natural Numbers Less Than 15. This represents the set {2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12,
14}.
Cardinality of a Set
Cardinality of a set S, denoted by |S|, is the number of elements of the
set. The number is also referred as the cardinal number. If a set has an infinite number
of elements, its cardinality is ∞.
Example
A = {1,4,3,5} = 4,
B = {1,2,3,4,5,…} = ∞
If there are two sets X and Y,
|X| = |Y| denotes two sets X and Y having same cardinality. It occurs when the number of
elements in X is exactly equal to the number of elements in Y. In this case, there exists a
bijective function f from X to Y.
|X| ≤ |Y| denotes that set Xs cardinality is less than or equal to set Ys cardinality. It occurs when
number of elements in X is less than or equal to that of Y. Here, there exists an injective function
f from X to Y.
|X| < |Y| denotes that set Xs cardinality is less than set Ys cardinality. It occurs when number of
elements in X is less than that of Y. Here, the function f from X to Y is injective function but not
bijective.
If |X| ≤ |Y| and |X| ≥ |Y| then |X|=|Y|. The sets X and Y are commonly referred as equivalent sets.
Some Important Sets
N − the set of all natural numbers = {1,2,3,4,.....}
Z − the set of all integers = {…..,−3,−2,−1,0,1,2,3,.....}
Z+ − the set of all positive integers
Q − the set of all rational numbers
R − the set of all real numbers
W − the set of all whole numbers
TYPES OF SET
Sets can be classified into many types. Some of which are finite, infinite, subset, universal,
proper, singleton set, etc.
Finite Set
A finite set is a set that contains a limited or countable number of elements. In other words, the
elements of the set can be counted and the counting process ends.
Example:
Set of values in the English Alphabet
X={a, e, i, o, u}
Set of days in a week
X={Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday}
Infinite Set
An infinite set is a set that contains an unlimited (endless) number of elements. The elements of
an infinite set cannot be completely counted.
Example:
Set of Natural Numbers
X={1,2,3,4,5,…}
Set of Integers
X={…,-3,-2,-1,0,1,2,3,…}
Subset
A set X is a subset of set Y (Written as X⊆Y) if every element of X is an element of set Y.
A subset is a set in which every element of this set is also an element of another set.
Example:
Let, X={1,2,3,4,5,6} and Y={1,2}.
Answer: Y⊆X
.
Here set Y is a subset of set X as all the elements of set Y is in set X. Hence, we can write Y⊆X.
Let A={1,2,3,4,}
Let B={2,4}
Answer: B⊆A
Here, B is a subset of A because every element of B (which are 2 and 4) is also in A. We write
this as: B⊆A
Proper Subset
The term proper subset can be defined as subset of but not equal to. A Set X is a proper subset
of set Y (Written as X⊂Y) if every element of X is an element of set Y and |X|<|Y|.
Example : Let A={1,2,3,4}
Let B={2,4}
Answer: B⊂A
Here, B is a proper subset of A because:
-Every element of B is in A
-B is not equal to A
Example 2:
Let X={red, blue, green, yellow,orange} .
Let Y={red, green}
Answer: Y⊂X
Here set Y⊂X since all elements in Y are contained in X too and X has at least one element is
more than set Y.
Universal Set
It is a collection of all elements in a particular context or application. All the sets in that context
or application are essentially subsets of this universal set. Universal sets are represented as U.
Example 1:
If we are discussing letters in the English alphabet, the universal set could be:
U={A,B,C,D,…,Z}
Example 2:
If we are talking about numbers from 1 to 10, the universal set could be:
U={1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10}
Empty Set or Null Set
An empty set contains no elements. It is denoted by ∅
. As the number of elements in an empty set is finite, empty set is a finite set. The cardinality of
empty set or null set is zero.
Example 1:
X={xlx is a natural number less than one}
Natural numbers start from 1, so there is no natural number less than 0, hence X=∅
Example 2:
S={x|x∈N and 7<x<8}=∅
The set S={x|x∈N and 7<x<8}=∅ is empty because there is no natural number between 7 and
8. Hence, S=∅
Singleton Set or Unit Set
Singleton set or unit set contains only one element. A singleton set is denoted by {s}.
Example 1:
A= {5}
Here, set A is a singleton set because it has only one element, which is 5.
Example 2:
Using set-builder notation: B = {x | x ∈ N, 3 < x < 5}
The only natural number between 3 and 5 is 4, so:
B = {4} Thus, B is also a singleton set.
Equal Set
If two sets contain the same elements they are said to be equal.
Example 1: If A={1,2,6} and B={6,1,2}, they are equal as every element of set A is an element of
set B and every element of set B is an element of set A.
Example 2: Let X={1,2,3}
Let Y={3,2,1}
Here, X=Y because both sets have the exact same elements: 1, 2, and 3.
Equivalent Set
If the cardinalities of two sets are same, they are called equivalent sets.
Example 1:
If A={1,2,6} and B={16,17,22}, they are equivalent as cardinality of A is equal to the cardinality
of B. i.e. |A|=|B|=3
Example 2:
Let A ={1,2,3}
B = {a,b,c}
Set A has 3 elements and set B also has 3 elements. Therefore, A~B So, A and B are
equivalent sets.
Overlapping Set
Two sets that have at least one common element are called overlapping sets.
In case of overlapping sets –
N(A∪B)=n(A)+n(B)−n(A∩B)
N(A∪B)=n(A−B)+n(B−A)+n(A∩B)
N(A)=n(A−B)+n(A∩B)
N(B)=n(B−A)+n(A∩B)
Example:
Let, A={2,4,6} and B={6,12,24}. There is a common element 6, hence these sets are
overlapping sets.
Let, X={a, e, I, o, u} and Y={I, o, u}.There is a common element, { o, u}; therefore, the sets are
overlapping.
In this regard, a set is an essential tool for classifying and organizing data in a variety of
domains. It is a clearly defined collection of unique items, referred to as elements. Both set-
builder notation, which creates a set by defining a property that its elements must satisfy, and
the roster method, which lists all elements within curly brackets, can be used to express sets.
Cardinality, which indicates the number of elements in a set, and the different kinds of sets,finite,
infinite, subsets, proper subsets, universal, empty, singleton, equal, equivalent, and overlapping
sets,each have distinct functions in mathematical and computational contexts
Instructions: Choose the best answer for each question.
1. Let U be the universal set of all integers. If A = {x | x is a multiple of 3} and B = {x | x is a
multiple of 5}, what represents the set of all integers that are multiples of both 3 and 5?
a) A ∪ B b) A ∩ B c) A – B d) B - A
2. Which of the following statements is always true regarding a set and its proper subset?
a) A proper subset contains all the elements of the original set
b) The cardinality of a proper subset is greater than the cardinality of the original
set.
c) A proper subset cannot be an empty set.
d) The cardinality of a proper subset is less than the cardinality of the original set.
3. Consider the set S = {x | x is a prime number and x < 20}. Which of the following is a
singleton subset of S?
a) { } b) {2} c) {1} d) {9}
4. Let A and B be two sets such that A ⊆ B. Which of the following is equivalent to A ∪ B?
a) A b) B c) A ∩ B d) ∅
5. Which of the following is true about the empty set, denoted as ∅?
a) ∅ is a subset of every set. .b) ∅ contains all possible elements.
c) The cardinality of ∅ is 1. d) ∅ is not a subset of itself.
6. In a class of 30 students, 18 are taking physics and 17 are taking chemistry. If 5 students
are taking neither physics nor chemistry, how many students are taking both physics and
chemistry? a) 5 b) 10 c) 15 d) 20
cardinality of A ∪ B?a) 6b) 7c) 8d) 9
7. Let A = {x | x is a factor of 12} and B = {x | x is an even number less than 10}. What is the
8. If set X has m elements and set Y has n elements, how many elements are there in the
power set of X ∩ Y, assuming X and Y are disjoint sets?a) 0b) 1c) 2d) 2^(m+n)
9. Let A = {1, 2, 3} and B = {a, b}. What is the cardinality of the Cartesian product A × B?a)
3b) 5c) 6d) 8
10. Given a universal set U = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10} and a set A = {2, 4, 6, 8}, what is
the cardinality of the complement of A (denoted as A')?a) 4b) 5c) 6d) 8
EXPERTISE
I am Bakiao, Cris Mae Joy a BSMATH learner. Viewing Set Theory as a unified foundation is the
key to succeeding in your upper-level courses. Set is not really difficult as you think, you’re just
collecting unique elements and put it in a sample space. When analyzing Cardinality, shift your
focus from 'counting' to establishing Bijections (\bm{f: A \to B}); this allows you to formally
compare the 'sizes' of infinite sets like the integers versus the real numbers.”
I’m Rhea Jane Amelic, a BS Math student. Learning different types of sets—finite, infinite,
empty, singleton, and universal—builds a strong foundation in Discrete Mathematics. I found
that practicing examples makes understanding sets easier. Work step by step with subsets,
proper subsets, and equal sets to improve problem-solving. Remember, Discrete Mathematics
is about patterns and logic, not memorization. Practice regularly, trust the process, and you’ll get
there..
I’m Jefferson Kein A. Tanggapa, as aspirant Mathematician. Learning math is kinda hard
sometimes but if you put passion on believing on accumulating a new knowledge it would be
easy as it seems. In first glance it maybe a hard one but once you enjoy learning it you’ll get the
way. As saying goes,” once you start loving math you’re going to understand it”.
REFERNCES
Introduction of Sets
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8e98cd8c6524&psq=sets&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY3VlbWF0aC5jb20vYWxnZWJyYS9zZXR
zLw
Cardinailty
[Link]
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xxS7b5eIB9ed0iJ5EkemWjks9-
Gi2FSHaQaerKhu8N9eDZNn2fG0_aem_xOSEzac1hzmc2ITmkMtF5g
Types Of Set
[Link]
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Tc2NjE4ODgwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=1c399b67-cc11-6469-10b4-
8e98cd8c6524&psq=types+of+set&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY3VlbWF0aC5jb20vYWxnZWJyY
S90eXBlcy1vZi1zZXRzLw