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1 Sequences: Lecture 1: Sets and Sequences

This lecture introduces sets and sequences, which are fundamental concepts for studying computability theory. It discusses key properties of sets and sequences, such as order and repetition of elements. For sequences, order and repetition matter, but for sets they do not. The lecture also defines basic terms like length of a sequence, size of a set, power set, and Cartesian product which will be important concepts in subsequent lectures. It overviews the topics and chapters that will be covered in the course.

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27 views2 pages

1 Sequences: Lecture 1: Sets and Sequences

This lecture introduces sets and sequences, which are fundamental concepts for studying computability theory. It discusses key properties of sets and sequences, such as order and repetition of elements. For sequences, order and repetition matter, but for sets they do not. The lecture also defines basic terms like length of a sequence, size of a set, power set, and Cartesian product which will be important concepts in subsequent lectures. It overviews the topics and chapters that will be covered in the course.

Uploaded by

Ali Javed
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Spring 2019: Advanced Theory of Computation Lecture 1

Lecture 1: Sets and Sequences


This course discusses two fundamental problems of computation.

• whether a problem can be solved by a computer [computability theory, chapters 4, 5, 6],

• how long (much space) it takes to solve a problem [complexity theory, chapters 7, 8, 9, 10].

We will study only computability theory in this course, and the complexity theory is covered
in Advanced Algorithm Analysis.
To study these problems, we have to use some mathematical models of a computer, such as finite
automata [chapter 1], push-down automata [chapter 2], and Turing machines [chapter 3]. These
models differ in the amount of memory and the way to access them. Finally, Chapter 0 reviews
some mathematical definitions and notation covered in the prerequisite course. In this course, we
will study part of Chapter 0, everything in Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Depending on the progress,
we may or may not cover Chapter 6.

1 Sequences
A sequence is a list of objects in some order. The objects in a sequence are called its elements or
members.
Usually, we describe a sequence by writing its elements within parentheses. For example,

• (1,2,3) is a sequence consisting of 1, 2, and 3

• (a, b, c) is a sequence consisting of a, b, and c

We say that two sequences are equal, if each element of the first sequence is equal to the
corresponding element of the second sequence. In other words, for sequences A = (a1 , a2 , · · · , an )
and B = (b1 , b2 , · · · , bm ), A = B if and only if n = m, a1 = b1 , a2 = b2 , · · · , and an = bn .
For example,

• (1, 2, 3) 6= (2, 2, 3)

• (1, 2, 3) 6= (1, 2, 3, 3)

• (1, 2, 3) 6= (3, 2, 1)

• (1, 2, 3) = (1, 2, 3)

From the above examples, we can see two important properties of a sequence.

• The order of the elements does matter. e.g. (1, 2, 3) 6= (3, 2, 1)

• The repetition of an element does matter. e.g. (1, 2, 3) 6= (1, 2, 3, 3)

The length of a sequence A, denoted by |A|, is the number of elements in A. For example,

Dr. Bakhtiar Kasi Page 1


Spring 2019: Advanced Theory of Computation Lecture 1

• |(1, 2, 3)| = 3

• |(1, 2, 3, 3)| = 4

• |()|=0

2 Sets
A set is a group of objects. The objects in a set are called its elements or members.
Usually, we describe a set by listing its elements in braces.

• {1, 2, 3} is a set containing 1, 2, and 3

• {a, b, c} is a set containing a, b, and c

• {} is the empty set, denoted by ∅

We say that two sets are equal, if they contain the same group of distinct elements. In other
words, if element x ∈ A then x ∈ B, and vice versa, then A = B.
For example,

• {1, 2, 3} =
6 {2, 2, 3}

• {1, 2, 3} =
6 {1, 2}

• {1, 2, 3} = {3, 2, 1}

• {1, 2, 3} = {1, 2, 3, 3}

From the above examples, we can see two important properties of a set

• The order of the elements does not matter. e.g. {1, 2, 3} = {3, 2, 1}

• The repetition of an element does not matter. e.g. {1, 2, 3} = {1, 2, 3, 3}

The size (or cardinality) of set A, denoted by |A|, is the number of distinct elements in A. For
example,

• |{1, 2, 3}| = 3

• |{1, 2, 3, 3}| = 3

• |∅| = 0

The power set of set A is the set of all subsets of A. For example, the power set of A = {0, 1}
is {∅, {0}, {1}, {0, 1}}.
The cross product (or Cartesian product) of sets A and B, written AB, is the set of all possible
pairs in which the first element is a member of A, and the second one is a member of B. For
example, A = {0, 1} and B = {a}, then A × B = {(0, a), (1, a)}

Dr. Bakhtiar Kasi Page 2

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