Sets, Power Set and Cartesian Product

Course Description: Discrete Mathematics

Course Code: MS 101
No. of Units: 3

Introduction

This module entitled Sets, Power Set and Cartesian Product is the representation, cardinality and type of sets. This
module also discusses how to get the Power set and Cartesian Product in a given set.

Date and Time Allotment

(3 hours)

I. Objectives

At the end of the end of this module, students should be able to:
a. Identify the different set.
b. Determine the different use of set.
c. Create a Venn diagram for a given set.
d. Explain and solve the Power Set and Cartesian Product for a given set.

II. Lecture

German mathematician George Ferdinand Ludwig Philip Cantor introduced the concept of sets. He had defined a set as a
collection of definite and distinguishable objects selected by the means of certain rules or description.

Set theory forms the basis of several other fields of study like counting theory, relations, graph theory and finite state machines. In
this chapter, we will cover the different aspects of Set Theory.

Set – A set is an unordered collection of different elements. A set can be written explicitly by listing its elements using set brackets.
If the order of the elements is changed or any element of a set is repeated, it does not make any changes in the set.
Some Example of Sets
 A set of all positive integers A = {x | x is all the positive integers}
 A set of all the planets in the solar system B = {mercury, Venus, earth, mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune}
 A set of all the states in India
 A set of all the lowercase letters of the alphabet C = {x | x is all the lowercase letters of the alphabet}
Representation of a Set
Sets can be represented in two ways −
 Roster or Tabular Form
 Set Builder Notation

Roster or Tabular Form

The set is represented by listing all the elements comprising it. The elements are enclosed within braces and separated by
commas.
Examples:
a) Set of vowels in English alphabet, A={a,e,i,o,u}
b) Set of odd numbers less than 10, B={1,3,5,7,9}

 Set Builder Notation

The set is defined by specifying a property that elements of the set have in common. The set is described as A={x|p(x)}
Examples:
a) The set {a, e, i, o, u} is written as −
A = {x | x is a vowel in English alphabet}

b∉ A
a∈A

b) The set {1,3,5,7,9} is written as −

B = {x | 1 ≤ x< 10}
 1∈ B
2∉ B

If an element x is a member of any set S, it is denoted by x ∈ S and if an element y is not a member of set S, it is denoted by y ∉
S
Example − If S={1,1.2,1.7,2}, 1∈S but 1.5∉S

Some Important Sets

N − the set of all natural numbers = {1,2,3,4,.....} {1,2,3,4,.....}
Z − the set of all integers = {.....,−3,−2,−1,0,1,2,3,.....}{.....,−3,−2,−1,0,1,2,3,.....}
Z+ − the set of all positive integers
Q − the set of all rational numbers
R − the set of all real numbers
W − the set of all whole numbers

Cardinality of a Set
Cardinality of a set S, denoted by |S|, is the number of elements of the set. The number is also referred as the cardinal
number. If a set has an infinite number of elements, its cardinality is ∞.
Examples:
a.) A= {1,4,3,5}
|A| = 4
b.) B = {1,2,3,4,5,…}
|B| = ∞
If there are two sets X and Y,
 |X|=|Y| denotes two sets X and Y having same cardinality. It occurs when the number of elements in X is exactly equal to
the number of elements in Y. In this case, there exists a bijective function ‘f’ from X to Y.
 |X|≤|Y| denotes that set X’s cardinality is less than or equal to set Y’s cardinality. It occurs when number of elements in X
is less than or equal to that of Y. Here, there exists an injective function ‘f’ from X to Y.
 |X|<|Y| denotes that set X’s cardinality is less than set Y’s cardinality. It occurs when number of elements in X is less than
that of Y. Here, the function ‘f’ from X to Y is injective function but not bijective.
If |X|≤|Y| and |X|≥|Y| then |X|=|Y| The sets X and Y are commonly referred as equivalent sets

TYPES OF SETS
Sets can be classified into many types. Some of which are finite, infinite, subset, universal, proper, singleton set, etc.

1. Finite Set - A set which contains a definite number of elements is called a finite set.
Example:
S = {x|x∈N and 70>x>50} S = {51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, …, 69}

2. Infinite Set - A set which contains infinite number of elements is called an infinite set.
Example:
S={x|x∈N}

3. Subset - A set X is a subset of set Y (Written as X⊆Y) if every element of X is an element of set Y.
Examples:
a.) Let, X={1,2,3,4,5,6} and Y={1,2,3}
Here set Y is a subset of set X as all the elements of set Y is in set X.
Hence, we can write Y⊆X

b.) Let, X={1,2,3} and Y={1,2,3}

Here set Y is a subset (Not a proper subset) of set X as all the elements of set Y is in set X.
Hence, we can write Y⊆X
4. Proper Subset - The term “proper subset” can be defined as “subset of but not equal to”. A Set X is a proper subset of
set Y (Written as X⊂Y) if every element of X is an element of set Y and |X|>|Y|.
Example:
Let, X={1,2,3,4,5,6} and Y={1,2}. Here set Y⊂X since all elements in Y are contained in X too and X has at least
one element is more than set Y.
 5. Universal Set - It is a collection of all elements in a particular context or application. All the sets in that context or
application are essentially subsets of this universal set. Universal sets are represented as U.
Example:
We may define U as the set of all animals on earth. In this case, set of all mammals is a subset of U, set of all

6. Empty Set or Null Set - An empty set contains no elements. It is denoted by ∅. As the number of elements in an empty
fishes is a subset of U, set of all insects is a subset of U, and so on.

set is finite, empty set is a finite set. The cardinality of empty set or null set is zero.

S = {x|x∈N and 7<x<8} = ∅

Example:

|S| = 0

7. Singleton Set or Unit Set - Singleton set or unit set contains only one element. A singleton set is denoted by {s}.
Example:
S = {x|x∈N, 7<x<9} = {8}

8. Equal Set - If two sets contain the same elements, they are said to be equal.
Example:
If A={1,2,6} and B={6,1,2}, they are equal as every element of set A is an element of set B and every element of
set B is an element of set A.

9. Equivalent Set - If the cardinalities of two sets are same, they are called equivalent sets.
Example:
If A={1,2,6} and B={16,17,22} they are equivalent as cardinality of A is equal to the cardinality of B. i.e. |A|=|B|=3|

10. Overlapping Set - Two sets that have at least one common element are called overlapping sets.
In case of overlapping sets −
Example:
Let, A={1,2,6} and B={6,12,42}. There is a common element ‘6’, hence these sets are overlapping sets.

11. Disjoint Set - Two sets A and B are called disjoint sets if they do not have even one element in common. Therefore,
disjoint sets have the following properties −
 n(A∩B)=∅n(A∩B)=∅
Example:
Let, A={1,2,6} and B={7,9,14}, there is not a single common element, hence these sets are disjoint.

VENN DIAGRAM
Venn diagram, invented in 1880 by John Venn, is a schematic diagram that shows
all possible logical relations between different mathematical sets.
Example

Power Set
Power set of a set S is the set of all subsets of S including the empty set. The
cardinality of a power set of a set S of cardinality n is n2. Power set is denoted as P(S)
Example:
 For a set S={a,b,c,d} let us calculate the subsets −
 Subsets with 0 elements − {∅} (the empty set)
 Subsets with 1 element − {a}, {b}, {c}, {d}
 Subsets with 2 elements − {a,b}, {a,c}, {a,d}, {b,c}, {b,d}, {c,d}
 Subsets with 3 elements − {a,b,c}, {a,b,d}, {a,c,d}, {b,c,d}
 Subsets with 4 elements − {a,b,c,d}
Hence, P(S) = {{∅},{a},{b},{c},{d},{a,b},{a,c},{a,d},{b,c},{b,d},{c,d},{a,b,c},{a,b,d},{a,c,d},{b,c,d},{a,b,c,d}}
|P(S)|=42=16
Note − The power set of an empty set is also an empty set.
|P({∅})|=20=1

CARTESIAN PRODUCT
The Cartesian product of n number of sets A1,A2,…An denoted as A1×A2⋯×An can be defined as all possible ordered
pairs (x1,x2,…xn) where x1∈A1,x2∈A2,…xn∈An

Example:
If we take two sets A={a,b} and B={1,2}
The Cartesian product of A and B is written as − A×B={(a,1),(a,2),(b,1),(b,2)}
The Cartesian product of B and A is written as − B×A={(1,a),(1,b),(2,a),(2,b)}

III. Application/Activity
Instruction: Complete the following set-related problems. Write your answers in a detailed format and upload them to your orange
app.

1. List the members of these sets.

a. {x | x is a real number such as x2 = 1}
b. {x | x is a positive integer less than 12}
c. {x | x is a square of an integer and x < 100}
2. Use set builder notation to give a description of each of these sets.
a. {0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9}
b. {c, c++, java, oracle}
3. Use the Venn diagram to illustrate the relationship A ⊑ B and B⊑ C .
4. Find the power set of each of these sets.
a. P = {1, 3, 5, 7}
b. P = {2, 4, 6}
c. P = {w, x, y, z}
5. Let A = {a, b, c} and B = {x, y}. Find
a. A x B
b. B x A

IV. Assessment
Solve the set-related problems provided below. Please write your answers in a detailed manner and upload them to your orange
app.

1. Create the Venn Diagram given the sets U = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10}, A = {2, 4, 6, 8}, B = {1, 3, 5, 6, 8}
2. Write the following sets in the roster form.
(a) A = The set of all even numbers less than 12

(b) B = The set of all prime numbers greater than 1 but less than 29

(c) C = The set of integers lying between -2 and 2

3. Write each of the following in set builder form.

(a) A = {5, 10, 15, 20}

(b) B = {l, 2, 3, 6, 9, 18}

(c) C = {P, R, I, N, C, A, L}
4. Write the cardinal number for each of the following.
 (a) X = The set of months in a year

(b) Y = The set of letters in the word INTELLIGENT

(c) Z = The set of prime numbers from 2 to 11

(a) A = {x : x ∈ N and x is even}

5. Classify the following as finite and infinite sets.

(b) B = {x : x ∈ N and x is composite}

(c) C = {x : x ∈ N and 3x -2 = 0}

(d) D = {x : x ∈ N and x2 = 9}

(e) E = {The set of numbers which are multiples of 3}

(a) A = {x | x ∈ N, 1 < x < 2}

6. Identify the following as null set or singleton set.

(b) P = {Point of intersection of two lines}

(c) C = {x : x is an even prime number greater than 2}

(d) Q = {x | x is an even prime number}

(e) E = {x : x2 = 9, x is even}

7. Are two sets A and B equal? Give reasons to support your answer.

(a) A = {x : x is a letter in the word SEAT}

B = {x : x is a letter in the word TASTE}

(b) A = {2, 6, 10, 14}

B = {6, 2, 14, 16}

(c) A = {1, 3, 5, 7, 9}

B = {x : x is a positive odd integer x ≤ 9}

(d) A = {0}

B = {x : x > 15 and x < 5}

8. Are two sets A and B equal? Give reasons to support your answer.
(a) A = {x : x is a letter in the word SEAT}

B = {x : x is a letter in the word TASTE}

(b) A = {2, 6, 10, 14}

B = {6, 2, 14, 16}

(c) A = {1, 3, 5, 7, 9}

B = {x : x is a positive odd integer x ≤ 9}

(d) A = {0}
 B = {x : x > 15 and x < 5}

9. Find which of the following sets are disjoint or overlapping.

(a) A = {The set of boys in the school}

B = {The set of girls in the school}

(b) P = {The set of letters in the English alphabet}

Q = {The set of vowels in the English alphabet}

(c) X = {x : x is an odd number, x < 9}

Y = {x : x is an even number, x < 10}

(d) M = {x : x is a factor of 24}

N = {x : x is a multiple of 3, less than 30}

(e) E = {9, 99, 999}

F = {1, 10, 100}

V. Other References
 Jonathan B Cabero et al., (2010), Discrete Mathematics
 Maribeth Fernandez (2010), Discrete Mathematics
 https://www.javatpoint.com/discrete-mathematics-tutorial