GEMMW

Mathematics in the Modern World

MODULE 2: LANGUAGE OF MATHEMATICS
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this module, the students should be able to:
1. Describe the concepts of sets.

2. Perform operations on sets.

3. Represent the order of sets by Venn Diagrams.

SET AND SET THEORY

A set is a well-defined collection of distinct objects of any kind. The word “well
defined” means that we can determine whether an object belongs to a set or not and
“distinct’ means that we do not replicate the same object in a set. If an object
belongs to a set, it is called a member or element of a set which is symbolized by ∈.
The number of elements in a given set is called cardinal number and symbolized by
n.
Sets are usually denoted by upper-case letters while elements are denoted by
lower-case letters. Any symbol of grouping such as parentheses, braces or bracket
can be used to enclose the elements of a set.
Set theory deals with operations between, relations among, and statements
about sets.
Example:
1. The set of students in a certain class
2. The set of counting numbers greater than 5
3. A = {a, e, i, o, u}
A set may be described in either of the following methods
1. Roster or Tabular method
In this method, elements of the set are written one by one and
separated from each other using comma.
Examples:
A = {a, b, c. d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z}
B = {4, 6, 8}
 2. Rule or Defining Property method
This is also called set-builder form. This method is used if the elements
of the set are too many that listing them one by one becomes inconvenient.
This is done by using descriptive phrases to list down the elements of the set.

Examples:
1. A = {a/a is a letter in the English Alphabet} read as “A is set of all a’s
such that a is a letter in the English Alphabet.
2. B = {b/b is an even number greater than 2 but less than 10} read as “B
is a set of all b’s such that b is an even number greater than 2 but less than
10.

KINDS OF SET
1. Empty or Null Set - a set that has no element denoted as Ø or { }. Thus, n(Ø) =
0.
Example:
B is a set of carabaos in a classroom
Answer: B = { } or B = Ø
2. Singleton set - a set that has one and only one element and also called as unit
set. It is denoted as
A = {x/x = A} or A = {x: x = A}
Examples:
1. C is a set of stars in the solar system, C = {sun}
2. D is a set of positive whole number between 4 and 6, D = {5}
3. Finite set - a set that has predetermined number of elements or finite number of
elements.
Examples:
1. Set of days in a week
2. Set of students in UMAK
4. Infinite set - a set that contains unlimited number of elements or a set whose
elements cannot be counted.
Examples:
1. Set of integers
2. Set of fishes in the ocean
RELATION ON SETS
Sometimes sets are compared or one is describe
1. Equal sets - two sets A and B are said to be equal if they contain the same
elements and is denoted by an equal sign (=). Every element of A is an element of B
and every element of B is an element of A.

Examples: A = {p, q, r, s}
B = {p, s, r, q}
Therefore, A = B

C = {3, 5, 7}
D = {d/d is an odd number greater than 1 but less than 9}
Therefore, C = D
2. Equivalent sets - two sets A and B are said to be equivalent if their cardinal
number is the same, that is, n(A) = n(B) and is denoted by tilde (~).

Example:
A = {1, 2, 3} n(A) = 3

B = {p, q, r} n(B) = 3

Therefore, A ~ B
3. Subset
If A and B are two sets, and every element of set A is also an element of set B,
then A is called a subset of B and denoted as A ⊂ B. The symbol ⊂ stands for ‘is a
subset of’ or ‘is contained in’
Note:
 Every set is a subset of itself, i.e., A ⊂ A, B ⊂ B.
 Empty set is a subset of every set.

Example:
1. Let A = {2, 4, 6}
B = {6, 4, 8, 2}

Since all the elements of set A are contained in set B, therefore A ⊂ B.

Note: Set B is not a subset but a superset of A because one element in B is not in A,
denoted by B A.
Name: Score:
Section: Date:

Activity 1
Sets
A. List down the elements of the given set using roster method and rule method.
1. M is a set of odd numbers greater than 1 but less than 9

2. N is a set of consonants in the English alphabet

3. P is a set of five things you bring to school

4. Q is a set of months in the calendar

5. R is a set of your siblings

B. Identify the type of set from the given sets below.

6. S is a set of stars in the sky
7. T is a set of letters in the word Mathematics
8. V is a set of an integer between 9 and 10
9. W is a set of habitant planet in the solar system
10. Y is set of students in UMAK
SET OPERATIONS
1. Union (U)
Union of two or more sets is a set of all elements that belong to every given
set. In the union of sets, every element is written only once even if they belong to
both sets. It is denoted as A U B.

Note: The union of two sets is always commutative, that is, A U B = B U A.

Example:
A = {1, 2, 3}
B = {1, 4, 5}
A U B = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

2. Intersection (∩)
Intersection of two or more sets is a set of elements that are common to all
the given sets. It is denoted as A ∩ B.

Example:
A = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
B = {2, 3, 7}
A ∩ B = {2, 3}
Note: Sets A and B are said to be disjoint, if they do not have any element in
common.

3. Difference ()
Difference of two sets A and B is a set of all elements found in A but not in B.
It is denoted as AB.
Example:
A = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
B = {2, 3, 7}
A B = {1, 4, 5}
4. Complement (’)or (c)
The complement of a set is a set of all elements found in the Universal set but
not in A. It is denoted as A’ or Ac.
Example:
Given: U = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7}
A = {1, 3, 7}
Find A'.

Solution:

We observe that 2, 4, 5, 6 are the only elements of U which do not belong to A.

Therefore, A' = {2, 4, 5, 6}

Alternative Solution:
A' = U A

Note:
The complement of a universal set is an empty set.

The complement of an empty set is a universal set.

The set and its complement are disjoint sets.

Name: Score:
Section: Date:

Activity 2
Operations on Sets

Given:
U = {a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i}
A = {a, e, i}
B = {b, c, d, e}
C = {c, d, e, f}
Find:
1. A U B =
9. A’ =
2. A U C =
10. B’ =
3. B U C =
11. A – B =
4. A U B U C =
12. B – C =
5. A ∩ B =
13. A – C =
6. A ∩ C =
14. A’ U B =
7. B ∩ C =
15. A’ ∩ B =
8. A ∩ B ∩ C =
VENN DIAGRAM
Pictorial representations of sets represented by closed figures are called set
diagrams or Venn diagrams. Venn diagrams are useful in solving simple logical
problems. Mathematician John Venn introduced the concept of representing the
sets pictorially by means of closed geometrical figures called Venn diagrams.
In Venn diagrams, the Universal Set U is represented by a rectangle and all
other sets under consideration by circles within the rectangle. Venn diagrams are
used to illustrate various operations (union, intersection, difference).
We can express the relationship among sets through this in a more significant
way.

In this,

• A rectangle is used to represent a universal set.

• Circles or ovals are used to represent other subsets of the universal set.

Venn diagrams in different situations

If set A is a subset of set B, then the circle representing set A is drawn inside the
circle representing set B.

B
A

If sets A and B have elements in common, draw two circles which are overlapping.

AB

If sets A and B are disjoint, then they are represented by two non-intersecting circles.

AB
In the following diagrams, the universal set is represented by a rectangular region
and its subsets by circles inside the rectangle. We represented disjoint set by disjoint
circles and intersecting sets by intersecting circles.
Examples:
1. From the given diagram, find the following:

A B
bc ae df

Find:
a. A = {a, b, c, e}
b. B = {a, d, e, f}
c. A U B = {a, b, c, d, e, f}
d. A ∩ B = {a, e}
e. A’ = {d, f}
2. From the adjoining Venn diagram, find the following sets.

Find:
a. A = {1, 3, 4, 5}
b. B = {2, 4, 5, 6}
c. A U C = {1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10}
d. U = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10}
e. A ∩ B = {4, 5}
Name: Score:
Section: Date:

Activity 3
Venn Diagram
A. From the adjoining figure list the elements of the following sets:
1. U =

2. A' =

3. B' =

4. (A ∩ B)' =

5. (A ∪ B)' =

B. Let A = {1, 2, 3, 5, 6}, B = {3, 4, 6, 8} be two subsets of the universal set

U = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8}
Draw Venn diagrams and answer the following
1. A' =
2. B' =
3. A U B =
4. A ∩ B =
5. (A U B)' =
APPLICATION OF THE VENN DIAGRAM
1. In a group of 100 customers at Big Red's Pizza Emporium, 80 of them ordered
mushrooms on their pizza and 72 of them ordered pepperoni. 60 customers ordered
both mushrooms and pepperoni on their pizza.
a. How many customers ordered mushrooms but no pepperoni?
b. How many customers ordered pepperoni but no mushrooms?
c. How many customers ordered neither of these two toppings?
Solution:
UU U = 100
M 1P2
20
60

a. 20
b. 12
c. 100 – (20+60+12) = 8
2. A survey of 85 students asked them about the subjects they liked to study. Thirty
five students liked math, 37 liked history, and 26 liked physics. Twenty liked math
and history, 14 liked math and physics, and 3 liked history and physics. Two
students liked all three subjects.
a. How many of these students like math or physics?
b. How many of these students didn’t like any of the three subjects?
c. How many of these students liked math and history but not physics?

M 16 U = 35
Math History
3 18

12 1

11

11
Physics

a. 47
b. 22
c. 18
Name: Score:
Section: Date:

Activity 4
Application of the Venn Diagram
Draw the Venn diagram and answer the following questions:
1. In a class of 30 students, 19 are studying French, 12 are studying Spanish
and 7 are studying both French and Spanish. How many students are not
taking any foreign languages?

2. Out of forty students, 14 are taking English Composition and 29 are taking
Chemistry.
If five students are in both classes,
a. How many students are in neither class?
b. How many are in either class?
c. How many students are taking English only?
d. How many students are taking Chemistry only?
3. 100 students were interviewed; 28 took PE, 31 took BIO, 42 took ENG, 9 took
PE and BIO, 10 took PE and ENG, 6 took BIO and ENG, 4 took all three
subjects.
a. How many students took none of the three subjects?
b. How many students took PE but not BIO or ENG?
c. How many students took BIO and PE but not ENG?

4. A class of 40 students completed a survey on what pets they like. The choices
were: Cats, Dogs, and Birds. Everyone liked at least one pet.
10 students liked Cats and Birds but not dogs
6 students liked Cats and Dogs but not birds
2 students liked Dogs and Birds but not Cats
2 students liked all three pets
10 students liked Cats only
9 students liked Dogs only
1 student liked Birds only
How many students liked:
a. Cats?
b. Birds?
c. Dogs?
References:
Sirug, W. S. (2018). Mathematics in the Modern World
Feliciano and Uy (1991). Modern College Algebra
Salazar (2010). College Algebra
Hathaway, Dale K. (2011). Mathematics for the Modern World, 3rd edition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt-S9J947CB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?V=vGeIH3Jibt4