Discrete Mathematics Summer 03

Assignment # 5: Solutions

Section 5.1

9. U = R -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4
A = {x  R | -2  x  1}
-2 -1 0 1 2 3 4
B = {x  R | -1 < x < 3}

a) AB = {x  R | -2  x <3}
b) AB = {x  R | -1 < x  1}
c) Ac = {x  R | x<-2 or x > 1}
d) Bc = {x  R | x-1 or x  3}
e) AcBc = {x  R | x < -2 or x 3}
f) AcBc = Ac = {x  R | x-1 or x > 1}
g) (AB)c = {x  R | x-1 or x > 1}
h) (AB)c = {x  R | x < -2 or x 3}

10. R

Z Z

a) Z+  Q TRUE
b) R-  Q FALSE ( -2  R- but -2Q)
c) Q  Z FALSE (½  Q but ½  Z)
d) Z-Z+ = Z FALSE (0Z but 0 Z- and 0 Z+)
e) QR = Q TRUE
f) QZ = Q TRUE
g) Z+R = Z+ TRUE
h) ZQ = Z FALSE (½  Z, ZQ = Q)
Discrete Mathematics Summer 03

15.a) AB d)A – ( BC)

b)BC e)(AB)c

c)Ac f)AcBc

17. A = {x, y, z, w}, B = {a, b}

b) BxA = {(a,x), (a,y), (a,z), (a,w), (b,x), (b,y), (b,z), (b,w)}

d) BxB = {(a,a), (a,b), (b,a), (b,b)}
Discrete Mathematics Summer 03

Section 5.2
12. For all sets A, B, C; (A-B)(C-B) = A – (BUC)
FALSE.

Using Venn Diagrams:

(A-B)(C-B) =? A – (BUC)

Clearly, they are not equal.

Using a concrete example:

Let A = {a, e, f, g}, B ={b, d, e, g} and C={c, d, f, g}
Then A-B = {a, f}, C-B = {f, c}, and therefore (A-B) (C-B) = {f}.
On the other hand BUC = {b, e, g, f, d, c}, and A-BUC = {a}
Clearly {a}  {f} therefore (A-B) (C-B)  A-BUC

19. Suppose AB.

Claim: BcAc
Proof:
AB iff
x, xA  xB iff
x, xB  xA iff
x, xBc  xAc iff
BcAc
33. For all sets A, B, C, show (A-B)U(B-A) = (AUB)-(AB)

(A-B)  (B-A) = (ABc)  (BAc) by Thm. 5.2.2(10)

= (AU(BAc)) (Bc (BAc)) by Thm 5.2.2(3)
= ((AB)  (AAc))  ((Bc B)  (Bc Ac)) by Thm. 5.2.2(3)
c c
= (AB)  U  U (B  A ) by Thm 5.3.3(2b)
Discrete Mathematics Summer 03

= (AB)  (Bc Ac) by Thm. 5.2.2(4)

= (AB)  (BA)c by Thm. 5.2.2(7)
= (AB) - (BA) by Thm. 5.2.2(10)
= (AB) - (AB) by Thm. 5.2.2(1)

34. For all sets A,B,C, show (A-B)-C = A-(BUC)

(A-B)-C = (A-B)Cc by Thm. 5.2.2(10)

= (ABc) Cc by Thm. 5.2.2(10)
= A  (BcCc) by Thm. 5.2.2(2)
= A  (BUC)c by Thm. 5.2.2(7)
= A – (BUC) by Thm 5.2.2(10)

Section 5.3

14. For all sets A,B,C: if (BC)A then (A-B) (A-C) = .

FALSE.

Using Venn Diagrams:

Consider the situation shown in the diagram. The shaded area shows (A-B)(A-C).
Here we have that (BC)A, but the shaded area is not empty.
Hence (BC)A does not imply that (A-B)(A-C).

Using a concrete example:

Let A = {d, b}, B = {c, d}, C={a,d}. (Note that BC = {d}  A )
Then A-B = {b} and A-C = {b}.So (A-B)(A-C) = {b}  .

19. For all sets A, Ax = 

Ax = {(a,b) | a  A and b  } =  ; since there’s no b such that b  .
Discrete Mathematics Summer 03

33. Defn. Symmetric difference: AB = (A-B) U (B-A)

c) A = A

A = (A-)  (-A) by Definition of 

= (Ac)  (Ac) by Thm. 5.2.2(10)
= (AU)  (Ac) by Thm. 5.3.3(4)
= (AU)   by Thm. 5.3.3(3)
= A by Thm. 5.2.2(4)
= A by Thm. 5.3.3(1)

d) A Ac = U

AAc = (A-Ac)  (Ac-A) by Definition of 

= (AA)  (AcAc) by Thm. 5.2.2(10)
= A  Ac by Thm. 5.2.2(6)
= U by Thm. 5.3.3(2)

e) A A = 

A A = (A-A)  (A-A) by Definition of 

= (AAc)  (AAc) by Thm. 5.2.2(10)
=  by Thm. 5.3.3(2)
=  by Thm. 5.3.3(3)

f) If AC = BC then A=B.

Suppose, AC = BC

I.e., that (A-C) + (C-A) = (B-C) + (C-B)

Claim that A=B.

Proof.
We show that AB. The proof that BA follows the same reasoning.
Choose xA. We must show that xB.

(1) xC .
Then x(A-C). Hence either x  (B-C) or x  (C-B)
But x(C-B) (since xC)
Hence x (B-C) . Hence xB.

(2) xC.
Then x  AC. Hence x  BC (since AC = BC )
Hence x  C-B. Hence xB.
Discrete Mathematics Summer 03