as well as in set B.
Therefore, A and B are overlapping
Types of Sets sets.
There are different types of sets in set theory. Some of Disjoint Sets
these are singleton, finite, infinite, empty, etc.
Two sets are disjoint if there are no common elements in
Singleton Sets both sets. Example: A = {1,2,3,4} B = {5,6,7,8}. Here,
set A and set B are disjoint sets.
A set that has only one element is called a singleton
set or also called a unit set. Example, Set A = { k | k is an Subset and Superset
integer between 3 and 5} which is A = {4}.
in set B, then set A is a subset of set B(A ⊆ B) and in
For two sets A and B, if every element in set A is present
this case, B is the superset of set A(B ⊇ A).
Finite Sets
As the name implies, a set with a finite or countable
Example: Consider the sets A = {1,2,3} and B =
number of elements is called a finite set. Example, Set B
{1,2,3,4,5,6}. Here:
A ⊆ B, since all the elements in set A are present
= {k | k is a prime number less than 20}, which is B =
{2,3,5,7,11,13,17,19}
in set B.
Infinite Sets B ⊇ A denotes that set B is the superset of set A.
A set with an infinite number of elements is called an
infinite set. Example: Set C = {Multiples of 3}. Universal Set
Empty or Null Sets A universal set is the collection of all the elements
A set that does not contain any element is called an regarding a particular subject. The universal set is
empty set or a null set. An empty set is denoted using the denoted by the letter 'U'. Example: Let U = {The list of
all road transport vehicles}. Here, a set of cars is a subset
symbol '∅'. It is read as 'phi'. Example: Set X = { }.
for this universal set, the set of cycles, trains are all
Equal Sets subsets of this universal set.
If two sets have the same elements in them, then they are Power Sets
called equal sets. Example: A = {1,2,3} and B = {1,2,3}.
Power set is the set of all subsets that a set could contain.
Here, set A and set B are equal sets. This can be
represented as A = B. Example: Set A = {1,2,3}. Power set of A is = {∅, {1},
{2}, {3}, {1,2}, {2,3}, {1,3}, {1,2,3}}.
Unequal Sets
Operations on Sets
If two sets have at least one different element, then they
are unequal sets. Example: A = {1,2,3} and B = {2,3,4}. Some important operations on sets in set theory include
Here, set A and set B are unequal sets. This can be union, intersection, difference, the complement of a set,
represented as A ≠ B. and the cartesian product of a set. A brief explanation of
set operations is as follows.
Equivalent Sets
Union of Sets
Two sets are said to be equivalent sets when they have
the same number of elements, though the elements are Union of sets, which is denoted as A U B, lists the
and set B. For example, {1, 3} ∪ {1, 4} = {1, 3, 4}
different. Example: A = {1,2,3,4} and B = {a,b,c,d}. elements in set A and set B or the elements in both set A
Here, set A and set B are equivalent sets since n(A) =
n(B) Intersection of Sets
Overlapping Sets The intersection of sets which is denoted by A ∩ B lists
Two sets are said to be overlapping if at least one the elements that are common to both set A and set B.
element from set A is present in set B. Example: A = For example, {1, 2} ∩ {2, 4} = {2}
{2,4,6} B = {4,8,10}. Here, element 4 is present in set A Set Difference
Set difference which is denoted by A - B, lists the
elements in set A that are not present in set B. For
example, A = {2, 3, 4} and B = {4, 5, 6}. A - B = {2, 3}.
Set Complement
Set complement which is denoted by A', is the set of all
elements in the universal set that are not present in set A.
In other words, A' is denoted as U - A, which is the
difference in the elements of the universal set and set A.
Cartesian Product of Sets
The cartesian product of two sets which is denoted by A
× B, is the product of two non-empty sets, wherein
ordered pairs of elements are obtained. For example, {1,
3} × {1, 3} = {(1, 1), (1, 3), (3, 1), (3, 3)}.