Chapter 2

Chapter Summary
 Sets
 The Language of Sets
 Set Operations
 Set Identities
 Functions
 Types of Functions
 Operations on Functions
 Computability
 Sequences and Summations
 Types of Sequences
 Summation Formulae
 Set Cardinality
 Countable Sets
 Matrices
 Matrix Arithmetic
Section 2.1
Section Summary
 Definition of sets
 Describing Sets
 Roster Method
 Set-Builder Notation
 Some Important Sets in Mathematics
 Empty Set and Universal Set
 Subsets and Set Equality
 Cardinality of Sets
 Tuples
 Cartesian Product
Introduction
 Sets are one of the basic building blocks for the types
of objects considered in discrete mathematics.
 Important for counting.
 Programming languages have set operations.
 Set theory is an important branch of mathematics.
 Many different systems of axioms have been used to
develop set theory.
 Here we are not concerned with a formal set of axioms
for set theory. Instead, we will use what is called naïve
set theory.
Sets
 A set is an unordered collection of objects.
 the students in this class
 the chairs in this room
 The objects in a set are called the elements, or
members of the set. A set is said to contain its
elements.
 The notation a ∈ A denotes that a is an element of the
set A.
 If a is not a member of A, write a ∉ A
Describing a Set: Roster Method
 S = {a,b,c,d}
 Order not important
S = {a,b,c,d} = {b,c,a,d}
 Each distinct object is either a member or not; listing
more than once does not change the set.
S = {a,b,c,d} = {a,b,c,b,c,d}
Roster Method
 Set of all vowels in the English alphabet:
V = {a,e,i,o,u}
 Set of all odd positive integers less than 10:
O = {1,3,5,7,9}
 Set of all positive integers less than 100:
S = {1,2,3,……..,99}
 Set of all integers less than 0:
S = {…., -3,-2,-1}
Some Important Sets
N = natural numbers = {0,1,2,3….}
Z = integers = {…,-3,-2,-1,0,1,2,3,…}
Z⁺ = positive integers = {1,2,3,…..}
Q = set of rational numbers = {m/n, m and n are integers
and n is not zero}
R = set of real numbers
R+ = set of positive real numbers
C = set of complex numbers.
Set-Builder Notation
 Specify the property or properties that all members
must satisfy:
S = {x | x is a positive integer less than 100}
O = {x | x is an odd positive integer less than 10}
O = {x ∈ Z⁺ | x is odd and x < 10}
Universal Set and Empty Set
 The universal set U is the set containing everything
currently under consideration.
 Sometimes implicit Venn Diagram
 Sometimes explicitly stated.
 Contents depend on the context. U

 The empty set is the set with no V aei

ou
elements. Symbolized ∅, but
{} also used.
John Venn (1834-1923)
Cambridge, UK
Some things to remember
 Sets can be elements of sets.
{{1,2,3},a, {b,c}}
{N,Z,Q,R}
 The empty set is different from a set containing the
empty set.
∅ ≠{∅}
Set Equality
Definition: Two sets are equal if and only if they have
the same elements.
 We write A = B if A and B are equal sets.
{1,3,5} = {3, 5, 1}
{1,5,5,5,3,3,1} = {1,3,5}
Subsets
Definition: The set A is a subset of B, if and only if
every element of A is also an element of B.
 The notation A ⊆ B is used to indicate that A is a subset
of the set B.
 A ⊆ B holds if and only if is true.
1. Because a ∈ ∅ is always false, ∅ ⊆ S ,for every set S.
2. Because a ∈ S → a ∈ S, S ⊆ S, for every set S.
Proper Subsets
Definition: If A ⊆ B, but A ≠B, then we say A is a
proper subset of B, denoted by A ⊂ B. If A ⊂ B, then

is true.
U
Venn Diagram B
A
Set Cardinality
Definition: If there are exactly n distinct elements in S
where n is a nonnegative integer, we say that S is finite.
Otherwise it is infinite.
Definition: The cardinality of a finite set A, denoted by
|A|, is the number of (distinct) elements of A.
Examples:
1. |ø| = 0
2. Let S be the letters of the English alphabet. Then |S| = 26
3. |{1,2,3}| = 3
4. |{ø}| = 1
5. The set of integers is infinite.
Power Sets
Definition: The set of all subsets of a set A, denoted
P(A), is called the power set of A.
Example: If A = {a,b} then
P(A) = {ø, {a},{b},{a,b}}

 If a set has n elements, then the cardinality of the

power set is 2ⁿ. (In Chapters 5 and 6, we will discuss
different ways to show this.)
Tuples
 The ordered n-tuple (a1,a2,…..,an) is the ordered
collection that has a1 as its first element and a2 as its
second element and so on until an as its last element.
 Two n-tuples are equal if and only if their
corresponding elements are equal.
 2-tuples are called ordered pairs.
 The ordered pairs (a,b) and (c,d) are equal if and only
if a = c and b = d.
 René Descartes
(1596-1650)

Cartesian Product
Definition: The Cartesian Product of two sets A and B,
denoted by A × B is the set of ordered pairs (a,b) where
a ∈ A and b ∈ B .

Example:
A = {a,b} B = {1,2,3}
A × B = {(a,1),(a,2),(a,3), (b,1),(b,2),(b,3)}

 Definition: A subset R of the Cartesian product A × B is

called a relation from the set A to the set B. (Relations
will be covered in depth in Chapter 9. )
Cartesian Product
Definition: The cartesian products of the sets A1,A2,……,An,
denoted by A1 × A2 × …… × An , is the set of ordered
n-tuples (a1,a2,……,an) where ai belongs to Ai
for i = 1, … n.

Example: What is A × B × C where A = {0,1}, B = {1,2} and

C = {0,1,2}
Solution: A × B × C = {(0,1,0), (0,1,1), (0,1,2),(0,2,0),
(0,2,1), (0,2,2),(1,1,0), (1,1,1), (1,1,2), (1,2,0), (1,2,1),
(1,2,2)}
Section 2.2
Section Summary
 Set Operations
 Union
 Intersection
 Complementation
 Difference
 More on Set Cardinality
 Set Identities
 Proving Identities
 Membership Tables
Union
 Definition: Let A and B be sets. The union of the sets
A and B, denoted by A ∪ B, is the set:

 Example: What is {1,2,3} ∪ {3, 4, 5}?

Venn Diagram for A ∪ B

Solution: {1,2,3,4,5} U
A B
Intersection
 Definition: The intersection of sets A and B, denoted
by A ∩ B, is

 Note if the intersection is empty, then A and B are said

to be disjoint.
 Example: What is? {1,2,3} ∩ {3,4,5} ?
Venn Diagram for A ∩B
Solution: {3}
 Example:What is? U
A
{1,2,3} ∩ {4,5,6} ? B

Solution: ∅
Complement
Definition: If A is a set, then the complement of the A
(with respect to U), denoted by Ā is the set U - A
Ā = {x ∈ U | x ∉ A}
(The complement of A is sometimes denoted by Ac .)
Example: If U is the positive integers less than 100,
what is the complement of {x | x > 70}
Solution: {x | x ≤ 70} Venn Diagram for Complement
U
Ā
A
Difference
 Definition: Let A and B be sets. The difference of A
and B, denoted by A – B, is the set containing the
elements of A that are not in B. The difference of A
and B is also called the complement of B with respect
to A.
A – B = {x | x ∈ A  x ∉ B} = A ∩B

U Venn Diagram for A − B

A
B
The Cardinality of the Union of Two
Sets
• Inclusion-Exclusion
U
|A ∪ B| = |A| + | B| − |A ∩ B|
A B

Venn Diagram for A, B, A ∩ B, A ∪ B

• Example: Let A be the math majors in your class and B be the CS majors. To
count the number of students who are either math majors or CS majors, add
the number of math majors and the number of CS majors, and subtract the
number of joint CS/math majors.
• We will return to this principle in Chapter 6 and Chapter 8 where we will derive
a formula for the cardinality of the union of n sets, where n is a positive integer.
Review Questions
Example: U = {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10} A = {1,2,3,4,5}, B ={4,5,6,7,8}
1. A∪B
Solution: {1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8}
2. A ∩ B
Solution: {4,5}
3. Ā
Solution: {0,6,7,8,9,10}
4.
Solution: {0,1,2,3,9,10}
5. A – B
Solution: {1,2,3}
6. B – A
Solution: {6,7,8}
Symmetric Difference
Definition: The symmetric difference of A and B,
denoted by is the set

Example:
U = {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10}
A = {1,2,3,4,5} B ={4,5,6,7,8} U

What is : A B

 Solution: {1,2,3,6,7,8}

Venn Diagram
Set Identities
 Identity laws

 Domination laws

 Idempotent laws

 Complementation law

Continued on next slide →

Set Identities
 Commutative laws

 Associative laws

 Distributive laws

Continued on next slide →

Set Identities
 De Morgan’s laws

 Absorption laws

 Complement laws
Proving Set Identities
 Different ways to prove set identities:
1. Prove that each set (side of the identity) is a subset of
the other.
2. Use set builder notation and propositional logic.
3. Membership Tables: Verify that elements in the same
combination of sets always either belong or do not
belong to the same side of the identity. Use 1 to
indicate it is in the set and a 0 to indicate that it is not.
Proof of Second De Morgan Law
Example: Prove that
Solution: We prove this identity by showing that:

1) and

2)

Continued on next slide →

Proof of Second De Morgan Law
These steps show that:

Continued on next slide →

Proof of Second De Morgan Law
These steps show that:
Set-Builder Notation: Second De
Morgan Law
Section 2.3
Section Summary
 Definition of a Function.
 Domain, Codomain
 Image, Preimage
 Injection, Surjection, Bijection
 Inverse Function
 Function Composition
 Graphing Functions
 Floor, Ceiling, Factorial
Functions
Definition: Let A and B be nonempty sets. A function f
from A to B, denoted f: A → B is an assignment of each
element of A to exactly one element of B. We write
f(a) = b if b is the unique element of B assigned by the
function f to the element a of A. Students Grades
 Functions are sometimes A
Carlota Rodriguez
called mappings or B
transformations. Sandeep Patel C
Jalen Williams D

F
Kathy Scott
Functions
Given a function f: A → B:
 A is called the domain of f.
 B is called the codomain of f.
 If f(a) = b,
 then b is called the image of a under f.
 The range of f is the set of all images of points in A
under f. We denote it by f(A).
Representing Functions
 Functions may be specified in different ways:
 An explicit statement of the assignment.
Students and grades example.
 A formula.
f(x) = x + 1
 A computer program.
 A Java program that when given an integer n, produces the nth
Fibonacci Number (covered in the next section and also
inChapter 5).
 Questions
f(a) = ? z A B
a
The image of d is ? z x

b
The domain of f is ? A y
c
The codomain of f is ? B
d z
The preimage of y is ? b
f(A) = ? {y,z}
The preimage(s) of z is (are) ? {a,c,d}
Question on Functions and Sets
 If and S is a subset of A, then

A B
a
f {a,b,c,} is ? {y,z}
x

b
f {c,d} is ? {z} y
c

d z
Injections
Definition: A function f is said to be one-to-one , or
injective, if and only if f(a) = f(b) implies that a = b for
all a and b in the domain of f. A function is said to be
an injection if it is one-to-one.
A B
a x

v
b
y
c
z
d

w
Surjections
Definition: A function f from A to B is called onto or
surjective, if and only if for every element
there is an element with . A
function f is called a surjection if it is onto.

A B
a x

b
y
c
z
d
Bijections
Definition: A function f is a one-to-one
correspondence, or a bijection, if it is both one-to-one
and onto (surjective and injective).

A B
a x

b
y
c

d z

w
Showing that f is one-to-one or onto
Showing that f is one-to-one or onto
Example 1: Let f be the function from {a,b,c,d} to
{1,2,3} defined by f(a) = 3, f(b) = 2, f(c) = 1, and f(d) =
3. Is f an onto function?
Solution: Yes, f is onto since all three elements of the
codomain are images of elements in the domain. If the
codomain were changed to {1,2,3,4}, f would not be
onto.
Example 2: Is the function f(x) = x2 from the set of
integers to the set of integers onto?
Solution: No, f is not onto because there is no integer
x with x2 = −1, for example.
Inverse Functions
Definition: Let f be a bijection from A to B. Then the
inverse of f, denoted , is the function from B to A
defined as
No inverse exists unless f is a bijection. Why?
Inverse Functions
A f
B A B
a V V
a

b b
W W
c c

d X X
d

Y Y
Questions
Example 1: Let f be the function from {a,b,c} to {1,2,3}
such that f(a) = 2, f(b) = 3, and f(c) = 1. Is f invertible
and if so what is its inverse?

Solution: The function f is invertible because it is a

one-to-one correspondence. The inverse function f-1
reverses the correspondence given by f, so f-1 (1) = c,
f-1 (2) = a, and f-1 (3) = b.
Questions
Example 2: Let f: Z → Z be such that f(x) = x + 1. Is f
invertible, and if so, what is its inverse?

Solution: The function f is invertible because it is a

one-to-one correspondence. The inverse function f-1
reverses the correspondence so f-1 (y) = y – 1.
Questions
Example 3: Let f: R → R be such that . Is f
invertible, and if so, what is its inverse?

Solution: The function f is not invertible because it

is not one-to-one .
Composition
 Definition: Let f: B → C, g: A → B. The composition of
f with g, denoted is the function from A to C
defined by
Composition
g f
A B C A C
V a
a h h
b i b
W i
c
c
X j
d
d j
Y
Composition
Example 1: If and ,
then

and
Composition Questions
Example 2: Let g be the function from the set {a,b,c} to
itself such that g(a) = b, g(b) = c, and g(c) = a. Let f be the
function from the set {a,b,c} to the set {1,2,3} such that
f(a) = 3, f(b) = 2, and f(c) = 1.
What is the composition of f and g, and what is the
composition of g and f.
Solution: The composition f∘g is defined by
f∘g (a)= f(g(a)) = f(b) = 2.
f∘g (b)= f(g(b)) = f(c) = 1.
f∘g (c)= f(g(c)) = f(a) = 3.
Note that g∘f is not defined, because the range of f is not a
subset of the domain of g.
Composition Questions
Example 2: Let f and g be functions from the set of
integers to the set of integers defined by f(x) = 2x + 3
and g(x) = 3x + 2.
What is the composition of f and g, and also the
composition of g and f ?
Solution:
f∘g (x)= f(g(x)) = f(3x + 2) = 2(3x + 2) + 3 = 6x + 7
g∘f (x)= g(f(x)) = g(2x + 3) = 3(2x + 3) + 2 = 6x + 11
Some Important Functions
 The floor function, denoted

is the largest integer less than or equal to x.

 The ceiling function, denoted

is the smallest integer greater than or equal to x

Example:
Section 2.5
Section Summary
 Cardinality
 Countable Sets
 Computability
Cardinality
Definition: The cardinality of a set A is equal to the
cardinality of a set B, denoted
|A| = |B|,
if and only if there is a one-to-one correspondence (i.e., a
bijection) from A to B.
 If there is a one-to-one function (i.e., an injection) from A
to B, the cardinality of A is less than or the same as the
cardinality of B and we write |A| ≤ |B|.
 When |A| ≤ |B| and A and B have different cardinality, we
say that the cardinality of A is less than the cardinality of B
and write |A| < |B|.
Cardinality
 Definition: A set that is either finite or has the same
cardinality as the set of positive integers (Z+) is called
countable. A set that is not countable is uncountable.
 The set of real numbers R is an uncountable set.
 When an infinite set is countable (countably infinite)
its cardinality is ℵ0 (where ℵ is aleph, the 1st letter of
the Hebrew alphabet). We write |S| = ℵ0 and say that S
has cardinality “aleph null.”
Showing that a Set is Countable
 An infinite set is countable if and only if it is possible
to list the elements of the set in a sequence (indexed
by the positive integers).
 The reason for this is that a one-to-one
correspondence f from the set of positive integers to a
set S can be expressed in terms of a sequence
a1,a2,…, an ,… where a1 = f(1), a2 = f(2),…, an = f(n),…
Hilbert’s Grand Hotel David Hilbert

The Grand Hotel (example due to David Hilbert) has countably infinite number of
rooms, each occupied by a guest. We can always accommodate a new guest at this
hotel. How is this possible?

Explanation: Because the rooms of Grand

Hotel are countable, we can list them as Room
1, Room 2, Room 3, and so on. When a new
guest arrives, we move the guest in Room 1 to
Room 2, the guest in Room 2 to Room 3, and
in general the guest in Room n to Room n + 1,
for all positive integers n. This frees up Room
1, which we assign to the new guest, and all
the current guests still have rooms. The hotel can also accommodate a
countable number of new guests, all the
guests on a countable number of buses
where each bus contains a countable
number of guests (see exercises).
Showing that a Set is Countable
Example 1: Show that the set of positive even integers E is
countable set.
Solution: Let f(x) = 2x.
1 2 3 4 5 6 …..

2 4 6 8 10 12 ……
Then f is a bijection from N to E since f is both one-to-one
and onto. To show that it is one-to-one, suppose that
f(n) = f(m). Then 2n = 2m, and so n = m. To see that it is
onto, suppose that t is an even positive integer. Then
t = 2k for some positive integer k and f(k) = t.
Showing that a Set is Countable
Example 2: Show that the set of integers Z is
countable.
Solution: Can list in a sequence:
0, 1, − 1, 2, − 2, 3, − 3 ,………..
Or can define a bijection from N to Z:
 When n is even: f(n) = n/2
 When n is odd: f(n) = −(n−1)/2
The Positive Rational Numbers are
Countable
 Definition: A rational number can be expressed as the
ratio of two integers p and q such that q ≠ 0.
 ¾ is a rational number
 √2 is not a rational number.
Example 3: Show that the positive rational numbers
are countable.
Solution:The positive rational numbers are countable
since they can be arranged in a sequence:
r1 , r2 , r3 ,…
The next slide shows how this is done. →
 The Positive Rational Numbers are
Countable
First row q = 1.
Second row q = 2.
etc.

Constructing the List

First list p/q with p + q = 2.

Next list p/q with p + q = 3

And so on.

1, ½, 2, 3, 1/3,1/4, 2/3, ….
Strings
Example 4: Show that the set of finite strings S over a finite
alphabet A is countably infinite.
Assume an alphabetical ordering of symbols in A
Solution: Show that the strings can be listed in a
sequence. First list
1. All the strings of length 0 in alphabetical order.
2. Then all the strings of length 1 in lexicographic (as in a
dictionary) order.
3. Then all the strings of length 2 in lexicographic order.
4. And so on.
This implies a bijection from N to S and hence it is a
countably infinite set.
The set of all Java programs is
countable.
Example 5: Show that the set of all Java programs is countable.
Solution: Let S be the set of strings constructed from the
characters which can appear in a Java program. Use the ordering
from the previous example. Take each string in turn:
 Feed the string into a Java compiler. (A Java compiler will determine
if the input program is a syntactically correct Java program.)
 If the compiler says YES, this is a syntactically correct Java program,
we add the program to the list.
 We move on to the next string.
In this way we construct an implied bijection from N to the set of
Java programs. Hence, the set of Java programs is countable.
 Georg Cantor
(1845-1918)

The Real Numbers are Uncountable

Example: Show that the set of real numbers is uncountable.
Solution: The method is called the Cantor diagnalization argument, and is a proof by
contradiction.
1. Suppose R is countable. Then the real numbers between 0 and 1 are also countable
(any subset of a countable set is countable - an exercise in the text).
2. The real numbers between 0 and 1 can be listed in order r1 , r2 , r3 ,… .
3. Let the decimal representation of this listing be

4. Form a new real number with the decimal expansion

where
5. r is not equal to any of the r1 , r2 , r3 ,... Because it differs from ri in its ith position after
the decimal point. Therefore there is a real number between 0 and 1 that is not on the
list since every real number has a unique decimal expansion. Hence, all the real
numbers between 0 and 1 cannot be listed, so the set of real numbers between 0 and 1
is uncountable.
6. Since a set with an uncountable subset is uncountable (an exercise), the set of real
numbers is uncountable.