Set Operations

Set operations is a concept similar to fundamental operations on numbers.

Sets in math deal with a finite collection of objects, be it numbers, alphabets,
or any real-world objects. Sometimes a necessity arises wherein we need to
establish the relationship between two or more sets. There comes the
concept of set operations.

There are four main set operations which include set union, set intersection,
set complement, and set difference. In this article, we will learn the various
set operations, notations of representing sets, how to operate on sets, and
their usage in real life.

What are Set Operations?

A set is defined as a collection of objects. Each object inside a set is called an
'Element'. A set can be represented in three forms. They are statement
form, roster form, and set builder notation. Set operations are the operations
that are applied on two or more sets to develop a relationship between
them. There are four main kinds of set operations which are as follows.

 Union of sets
 Intersection of sets
 Complement of a set
 Difference between sets/Relative Complement

Before we move on to discuss the various set operations, let us recall the
concept of Venn diagrams as it is important in understanding the operations
on sets. A Venn diagram is a logical diagram that shows the possible
relationship between different finite sets. The Venn diagram can be
represented as follows.
Basic Set Operations
Now that we know the concept of a sets and Venn diagram, let us discuss
each set operation one by one in detail. The various set operations are:

Union of Sets
For two given sets A and B, A∪B (read as A union B) is the set of distinct

A ∪ B is given by n(A∪B) = n(A) + n(B) − n(A∩B), where n(X) is the number of

elements that belong to set A and set B or both. The number of elements in

elements in set X. To understand this set operation of the union of

7}, then the union of A and B is given by A ∪ B = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7}.

sets better, let us consider an example: If A = {1, 2, 3, 4} and B = {4, 5, 6,

Intersection of Sets
For two given sets A and B, A∩B (read as A intersection B) is the set of
common elements that belong to set A and B. The number of elements in
A∩B is given by n(A∩B) = n(A)+n(B)−n(A∪B), where n(X) is the number of
elements in set X. To understand this set operation of the intersection of
sets better, let us consider an example: If A = {1, 2, 3, 4} and B = {3, 4, 5,
7}, then the intersection of A and B is given by A ∩ B = {3, 4}.

Set Difference
The set operation difference between sets implies subtracting the elements
from a set which is similar to the concept of the difference between
numbers. The difference between sets A and set B denoted as A − B lists all
the elements that are in set A but not in set B. To understand this set
operation of set difference better, let us consider an example: If A = {1, 2, 3,
4} and B = {3, 4, 5, 7}, then the difference between sets A and B is given by
A - B = {1, 2}.

Complement of Sets
The complement of a set A denoted as A′ or Ac (read as A complement) is
defined as the set of all the elements in the given universal set(U) that are
not present in set A. To understand this set operation of complement of sets
better, let us consider an example: If U = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9} and A =
{1, 2, 3, 4}, then the complement of set A is given by A' = {5, 6, 7, 8, 9}.

The above image shows various set operations with the help of Venn
diagrams. When the elements of one set B completely lie in the other set A,
then B is said to be a proper subset of A. When two sets have no elements in
common, then they are said to be disjoint sets. Now, let us explore the
properties of the set operations.

Properties of Set Operations

The properties of set operations are similar to the properties of fundamental
operations on numbers. The important properties on set operations are
stated below:

 Commutative Law - For any two given sets A and B, the commutative

∪ ∪
property is defined as,
A B = B A
This means that the set operation of union of two sets is commutative.
A ∩ B = B ∩ A
This means that the set operation of intersection of two sets is
commutative.
 Associative Law - For any three given sets A, B and C the associative

∪ ∪ ∪ ∪
property is defined as,
(A B) C = A (B C)
This means the set operation of union of sets is associative.
(A ∩ B) ∩ C = A ∩ (B ∩ C)
This means the set operation of intersection of sets is associative.

and B, we have (A ∪ B)' = A' ∩ B' and (A ∩ B)' = A' ∪ B'

 De-Morgan's Law - The De Morgan's law states that for any two sets A

 A∪A=A

A∩∅=∅
 A∩A=A

A∪∅=A


A∩B⊆A


A⊆A∪B



Important Notes on Set Operations

 Set operation formula for union of sets is n(A∪B) = n(A) + n(B) − n(A∩B)
and set operation formula for intersection of sets is n(A∩B) = n(A)+n(B)
−n(A∪B).
 The union of any set with the universal set gives the universal set and the
intersection of any set A with the universal set gives the set A.
 Union, intersection, difference, and complement are the various
operations on sets.
 The complement of a universal set is an empty set U′ = ϕ. The
complement of an empty set is a universal set ϕ′ = U.

Related Topics on Set Operations

  Superset
 Power Set
 Finite and Infinite Sets

Examples of Set Operations

 Example 1: In a school, every student plays either football or soccer or
both. It was found that 200 students played football, 150 students played
soccer and 100 students played both. Find how many students were there
in the school using the set operation formula.

Solution: Let us represent the number of students who played football as

n(F) and the number of students who played soccer as n(S). We have n(F)
= 200, n(S) = 150 and n(F ∩ S) = 100. We know that,

n(F∪S) = n(F) + n(S) − n(F∩S)

Therefore, n(F∪S)=(200+150)−100

n(F∪S) = 350 − 100 = 250

Answer: Hence the total number of students in the school is 250.

 Example 2: If A = {a, b, c, d, e}, B = {a, e, i, o, u}, U = {a, b, c, d, e, f,

g, h, i, j, k, l, o, u}. Perform the following operations on sets and find the
solutions.

a) A ∪ B
b) A ∩ B
c) A′
d) A - B

Solution: a) A ∪ B = {a, b, c, d, e, i, o, u}

b) A ∩ B = {a, e}

c) A' = {f, g, h, i, j, k, l, o, u}

d) A - B = {b, c, d}

Practice Questions on Set Operations

 Q.1 If A = {a,b,c,d}, B = {c,d,e,f}. Find A ∪ B.

 Q. 2 If A = { a,b,c,d,e}, B = {d,e,f,g,h). Find A ∪ B, A ∩ B, A – B .

 Explain how Venn diagrams are utilized under the set theory