MAM1008S - Worksheet 1

Question 1. List all the elements of the following sets.

(a) { n1 | n ∈ {3, 4, 5, 6}}.

(b) {α ∈ the alphabet | α precedes F }.

(c) {x ∈ Z | x = x + 1}.

(d) {n2 | n = −2, −1, 0, 1, 2}.

(e) {n ∈ P | n is a factor of 24}.

Question 2. Re-write the following sets using set builder notation.

(a) {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7}.

(b) {1, 10, 100, 1000, 10000}.

(c) {1, 12 , 31 , 14 , 15 , . . . }.

(d) {0}.

Question 3. List all three element sets in P({a, b, c, d}).

Question 4. Use the definition of a subset to explain why every set is a subset of itself.

Question 5. Let A = {0, 2, 3}, B = {2, 3}, C = {1, 5, 9}, D = {3, 2}, and E = {2, 3, 2}.
Determine which of the following are true. Give reasons for your answers.
(a) A = B.

(b) B = C.

(c) B = D.

(d) E = D.

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 (e) A ∩ B = B ∩ A.

(f) A ∪ B = B ∪ A.

(g) A − B = B − A.

(h) A ⊕ B = B ⊕ A.

Question 6. Let U = {1, 2, 3, . . . , 9}. Give examples to illustrate the following facts:

(a) If A ⊂ B and B ⊂ C, then A ⊂ C.

(b) There are sets A and B such that A − B 6= B − A.

(c) If U = A ∪ B and A ∩ B = ∅, it always follows that A = U − B.

Question 7. Suppose that U is an infinite universal set, and A and B are infinite subsets
of U . Answer the following questions with a brief explanation.

(a) Must Ac be finite?

(b) Must A ∪ B infinite?

(c) Must A ∩ B be infinite?

Question 8. Let U = all students at a university, D = day students, M = mathematics

majors, and G = graduate students. Let |U | = 16000, |D| = 9000, |M | = 300, and|G| =
1000. Also assume that the number of day students who are mathematics majors is 250,
50 of whom are graduate students, that there are 95 graduate mathematics majors, and
that the total number of day graduate students is 700. Determine the number of students
who are:

(a) evening students.

(b) non-mathematics majors.

(c) undergraduates (day or evening).

(d) day graduate non-mathematics majors.

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 (e) evening graduate students.

(f) evening graduate mathematics majors.

(g) evening undergraduate non-mathematics majors.

Question 9. Suppose that you are about to flip a coin and then roll a die. Let A =
{HEADS, T AILS} and B = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}.

(a) What is |A × B|?

(b) How could you interpret the set A × B ?

Question 10. Let A = {•, , ⊗} and B = {, , •}.

(a) List the elements of A×B and B×A. The parentheses and comma in an ordered pair
are not necessary in cases such as this where the elements of each set are individual
symbols.

(b) Identify the intersection of A × B and B × A for the case above, and then guess at
a general rule for the intersection of A × B and B × A, where A and B are any two
sets.