1.

Let A and B be two finite sets such that n(A) = 20, n(B) = 28 and n(A ∪ B) =
36, find n(A ∩ B).

Solution:

Using the formula n(A ∪ B) = n(A) + n(B) - n(A ∩ B).

then n(A ∩ B) = n(A) + n(B) - n(A ∪ B)

= 20 + 28 - 36

= 48 - 36

= 12

2. If n(A - B) = 18, n(A ∪ B) = 70 and n(A ∩ B) = 25, then find n(B).

Solution:

Using the formula n(A∪B) = n(A - B) + n(A ∩ B) + n(B - A)

70 = 18 + 25 + n(B - A)

70 = 43 + n(B - A)

n(B - A) = 70 - 43

n(B - A) = 27

Now n(B) = n(A ∩ B) + n(B - A)

= 25 + 27

= 52

Different types on word problems on sets:

3. In a group of 60 people, 27 like cold drinks and 42 like hot drinks and each
person likes at least one of the two drinks. How many like both coffee and tea?
Solution:

Let A = Set of people who like cold drinks.

B = Set of people who like hot drinks.

Given

(A ∪ B) = 60 n(A) = 27 n(B) = 42 then;

n(A ∩ B) = n(A) + n(B) - n(A ∪ B)

= 27 + 42 - 60

= 69 - 60 = 9

=9

Therefore, 9 people like both tea and coffee.

4. There are 35 students in art class and 57 students in dance class. Find the
number of students who are either in art class or in dance class.

• When two classes meet at different hours and 12 students are enrolled in
both activities.

• When two classes meet at the same hour.

Solution:

n(A) = 35, n(B) = 57, n(A ∩ B) = 12

(Let A be the set of students in art class.

B be the set of students in dance class.)

(i) When 2 classes meet at different hours n(A ∪ B) = n(A) + n(B) - n(A ∩ B)

= 35 + 57 - 12

= 92 - 12

= 80

(ii) When two classes meet at the same hour, A∩B = ∅ n (A ∪ B) = n(A) + n(B)
- n(A ∩ B)
 = n(A) + n(B)

= 35 + 57

= 92

Further concept to solve word problems on sets:

5. In a group of 100 persons, 72 people can speak English and 43 can speak
French. How many can speak English only? How many can speak French only
and how many can speak both English and French?

Solution:

Let A be the set of people who speak English.

B be the set of people who speak French.

A - B be the set of people who speak English and not French.

B - A be the set of people who speak French and not English.

A ∩ B be the set of people who speak both French and English.

Given,

n(A) = 72 n(B) = 43 n(A ∪ B) = 100

Now, n(A ∩ B) = n(A) + n(B) - n(A ∪ B)

= 72 + 43 - 100

= 115 - 100

= 15

Therefore, Number of persons who speak both French and English = 15

n(A) = n(A - B) + n(A ∩ B)

⇒ n(A - B) = n(A) - n(A ∩ B)

= 72 - 15

= 57

and n(B - A) = n(B) - n(A ∩ B)

= 43 - 15

= 28

Therefore, Number of people speaking English only = 57

Number of people speaking French only = 28

Word problems on sets using the different properties (Union & Intersection):

6. In a competition, a school awarded medals in different categories. 36 medals

in dance, 12 medals in dramatics and 18 medals in music. If these medals went
to a total of 45 persons and only 4 persons got medals in all the three
categories, how many received medals in exactly two of these categories?

Solution:

Let A = set of persons who got medals in dance.

B = set of persons who got medals in dramatics.

C = set of persons who got medals in music.

Given,

n(A) = 36 n(B) = 12 n(C) = 18

n(A ∪ B ∪ C) = 45 n(A ∩ B ∩ C) = 4

We know that number of elements belonging to exactly two of the three sets A,
B, C

= n(A ∩ B) + n(B ∩ C) + n(A ∩ C) - 3n(A ∩ B ∩ C)

= n(A ∩ B) + n(B ∩ C) + n(A ∩ C) - 3 × 4 ……..(i)

n(A ∪ B ∪ C) = n(A) + n(B) + n(C) - n(A ∩ B) - n(B ∩ C) - n(A ∩ C) + n(A ∩ B ∩
C)

Therefore, n(A ∩ B) + n(B ∩ C) + n(A ∩ C) = n(A) + n(B) + n(C) + n(A ∩ B ∩

C) - n(A ∪ B ∪ C)

From (i) required number

= n(A) + n(B) + n(C) + n(A ∩ B ∩ C) - n(A ∪ B ∪ C) - 12

= 36 + 12 + 18 + 4 - 45 - 12

= 70 - 57

= 13

Apply set operations to solve the word problems on sets:

7. Each student in a class of 40 plays at least one indoor game chess, carrom
and scrabble. 18 play chess, 20 play scrabble and 27 play carrom. 7 play chess
and scrabble, 12 play scrabble and carrom and 4 play chess, carrom and
scrabble. Find the number of students who play (i) chess and carrom. (ii) chess,
carrom but not scrabble.

Solution:

Let A be the set of students who play chess

B be the set of students who play scrabble

C be the set of students who play carrom

Therefore, We are given n(A ∪ B ∪ C) = 40,

n(A) = 18, n(B) = 20 n(C) = 27,

n(A ∩ B) = 7, n(C ∩ B) = 12 n(A ∩ B ∩ C) = 4

We have

n(A ∪ B ∪ C) = n(A) + n(B) + n(C) - n(A ∩ B) - n(B ∩ C) - n(C ∩ A) + n(A ∩ B ∩

C)
Therefore, 40 = 18 + 20 + 27 - 7 - 12 - n(C ∩ A) + 4

40 = 69 – 19 - n(C ∩ A)

40 = 50 - n(C ∩ A) n(C ∩ A) = 50 - 40

n(C ∩ A) = 10

Therefore, Number of students who play chess and carrom are 10.

Also, number of students who play chess, carrom and not scrabble.

= n(C ∩ A) - n(A ∩ B ∩ C)

= 10 – 4

=6

Therefore, we learned how to solve different types of word problems on sets

without using Venn diagram.

Example 1 :

In a survey of university students, 64 had taken mathematics course, 94 had

taken chemistry course, 58 had taken physics course, 28 had taken
mathematics and physics, 26 had taken mathematics and chemistry, 22 had
taken chemistry and physics course, and 14 had taken all the three
courses. Find how many had taken one course only.

Solution :

Step 1 :

Let M, C, P represent sets of students who had taken mathematics, chemistry

and physics respectively

Step 2 :

From the given information, we have

 n(M) = 64, n(C) = 94, n(P) = 58,

n(MnP) = 28, n(MnC) = 26, n(CnP) = 22

n(MnCnP) = 14

Step 3 :

From the basic stuff, we have

No. of students who had taken only Math

= n(M) - [n(MnP) + n(MnC) - n(MnCnP)]

= 64 - [28 + 26 - 14]

= 64 - 40

= 24

Step 4 :

No. of students who had taken only Chemistry :

= n(C) - [n(MnC) + n(CnP) - n(MnCnP)]

= 94 - [26+22-14]

= 94 - 34

= 60

Step 5 :

No. of students who had taken only Physics :

 = n(P) - [n(MnP) + n(CnP) - n(MnCnP)]

= 58 - [28 + 22 - 14]

= 58 - 36

= 22

Step 6 :

Total no. of students who had taken only one course :

= 24 + 60 + 22

= 106

Hence, the total number of students who had taken only one course is 106.

Alternative Method (Using venn diagram) :

Step 1 :

Venn diagram related to the information given in the question:

Step 2 :
From the venn diagram above, we have

No. of students who had taken only math = 24

No. of students who had taken only chemistry = 60

No. of students who had taken only physics = 22

Step 3 :

Total no. of students who had taken only one course :

= 24 + 60 + 22

= 106

Hence, the total number of students who had taken only one course is 106.

Example 2 :

In a group of students, 65 play foot ball, 45 play hockey, 42 play cricket, 20

play foot ball and hockey, 25 play foot ball and cricket, 15 play hockey and
cricket and 8 play all the three games. Find the total number of students in
the group (Assume that each student in the group plays at least one game).

Solution :

Step 1 :

Let F, H and C represent the set of students who play foot ball, hockey and
cricket respectively.

Step 2 :

From the given information, we have

 n(F) = 65 , n(H) = 45, n(C) = 42,

n(FnH) = 20, n(FnC) = 25, n(HnC) = 15

n(FnHnC) = 8

Step 3 :

From the basic stuff, we have

Total number of students in the group is n(FuHuC).

n(FuHuC) is equal to

= n(F) + n(H) + n(C) - n(FnH) - n(FnC) - n(HnC) + n(FnHnC)

Then, we have

n(FuHuC) = 65 + 45 + 42 -20 - 25 - 15 + 8

n(FuHuC) = 100

Hence, the total number of students in the group is 100.

Alternative Method (Using venn diagram) :

Step 1 :

Venn diagram related to the information given in the question :

Step 2 :

Total number of students in the group :

= 28 + 12 + 18 + 7 + 10 + 17 + 8

= 100

Hence, the total number of students in the group is 100.

Example 3 :

In a college, 60 students enrolled in chemistry,40 in physics, 30 in biology, 15

in chemistry and physics,10 in physics and biology, 5 in biology and chemistry.
No one enrolled in all the three. Find how many are enrolled in at least one of
the subjects.

Solution :

Let C, P and B represents the subjects Chemistry, Physics and Biology

respectively.
Number of students enrolled in Chemistry :

n(C) = 60

Number of students enrolled in Physics :

n(P) = 40

Number of students enrolled in Biology :

n(B) = 30

No.of students enrolled in Chemistry and Physics :

n(CnP) = 15

No.of students enrolled in Physics and Biology :

n(PnB) = 10

No.of students enrolled in Biology and Chemistry :

n(BnC) = 5

No one enrolled in all the three. So, we have

n(CnPnB) = 0

The above information can be put in a venn diagram as shown below.

From, the above venn diagram, number of students enrolled in at least one of
the subjects :

= 40 + 15 + 15 + 15 + 5 + 10 + 0

= 100

So, the number of students enrolled in at least one of the subjects is 100.

Example 4 :

In a town 85% of the people speak Tamil, 40% speak English and 20% speak
Hindi. Also 32% speak Tamil and English, 13% speak Tamil and Hindi and 10%
speak English and Hindi, find the percentage of people who can speak all the
three languages.
Solution:

Let T, E and H represent the people who speak Tamil, English and Hindi
respectively.

Percentage of people who speak Tamil :

n(T) = 85

Percentage of people who speak English :

n(E) = 40

Percentage of people who speak Hindi :

n(H) = 20

Percentage of people who speak English and Tamil :

n(TnE) = 32

Percentage of people who speak Tamil and Hindi :

n(TnH) = 13

Percentage of people who speak English and Hindi :

n(EnH) = 10

Let x be the percentage of people who speak all the three language.
From the above venn diagram, we can have

100 = 40 + x + 32 – x + x + 13 – x + 10 – x – 2 + x – 3 + x

100 = 40 + 32 + 13 + 10 – 2 – 3 + x

100 = 95 – 5 + x

100 = 90 + x
 x = 100 - 90

x = 10%

So, the percentage of people who speak all the three languages is 10%.

Example 5 :

An advertising agency finds that, of its 170 clients, 115 use Television, 110 use
Radio and 130 use Magazines. Also 85 use Television and Magazines, 75 use
Television and Radio, 95 use Radio and Magazines, 70 use all the three. Draw
Venn diagram to represent these data. Find

(i) how many use only Radio?

(ii) how many use only Television?

(iii) how many use Television and Magazine but not radio?

Solution:

Let T, R and M represent the people who use Television, Radio and Magazines
respectively.

Number of people who use Television :

n(T) = 115

Number of people who use Radio :

n(R) = 110

Number of people who use Magazine :

n(M) = 130
Number of people who use Television and Magazines

n (TnM) = 85

Number of people who use Television and Radio :

n(TnR) = 75

Number of people who use Radio and Magazine :

n(RnM) = 95

Number of people who use all the three :

n(TnRnM) = 70
From the above venn diagram, we have

(i) Number of people who use only Radio is 10

(ii) Number of people who use only Television is 25

(iii) Number of people who use Television and Magazine but not radio is 15.

Example 6 :
In a class of 60 students, 40 students like math, 36 like science, 24 like both
the subjects. Find the number of students who like

(i) Math only, (ii) Science only (iii) Either Math or Science (iv) Neither Math
nor science.

Solution :

Step 1 :

Let M and S represent the set of students who like math and science
respectively.

Step 2 :

From the information given in the question, we have

n(M) = 40, n(S) = 36, n(MnS) = 24

Step 3 :

Answer (i) :

No. of students who like math only :

= n(M) - n(MnS)

= 40 - 24

= 16

Step 4 :

Answer (ii) :
No. of students who like science only :

= n(S) - n(MnS)

= 36 - 24

= 12

Step 5 :

Answer (iii) :

No. of students who like either math or science :

= n(M or S)

= n(MuS)

= n(M) + n(S) - n(MnS)

= 40 + 36 - 24

= 52

Step 6 :

Answer (iv) :

Total no. students who like Maths or Science subjects :

n(MuS) = 52

No. of students who like neither math nor science

= 60 - 52
 = 8

Example 7 :

At a certain conference of 100 people there are 29 Indian women and 23

Indian men. Out of these Indian people 4 are doctors and 24 are either men
or doctors. There are no foreign doctors. Find the number of women doctors
attending the conference.

Solution :

Step 1 :

Let M and D represent the set of Indian men and Doctors respectively.

Step 2 :

From the information given in the question, we have

n(M) = 23, n(D) = 4, n(MuD) = 24

Step 3 :

From the basic stuff, we have

n(MuD) = n(M) + n(D) - n(MnD)

24 = 23 + 4 - n(MnD)

n(MnD) = 3

n(Indian Men and Doctors) = 3

Step 4 :
So, out of the 4 Indian doctors, there are 3 men.

And the remaining 1 is Indian women doctor.

Hence, the number women doctors attending the conference is 1.