Operations on Sets

• Union
• Intersection: Two sets are disjoint if their
intersection is the null set.
• Difference A - B.
• Complement of a set A.
 Union
• If A and B are sets, their union can be
defined as the set that consists of all
elements of A or B.
• It is denoted by A U B.
A U B = {x | x Є A or x Є B}
A B
Venn Diagram
AUB
 Union: Examples
• Example 1:
A = {1, 2, 5, 6,7} and B = {3,4, 5, 6, 8, 9}
A U B = {1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9}
• Example 2:
A = {1, 2, 3, 4}
A U A = {1, 2, 3, 4}
• Example 3:
• A = {1, 2, 3, 4}
• A U Ø = {1, 2, 3, 4} or A U { } = {1, 2, 3, 4}
 Intersection
• If A and B are sets, their intersection can be
defined as the set that consists of all
elements that belong to both A and B.
• It is denoted by A ∩ B.
A ∩ B = {x | x Є A and x Є B}
A B
Venn Diagram

A∩B
 Intersection: Examples
• Example 1:
A = {1, 2, 5, 6,7} and B = {3,4, 5, 6, 8, 9}
A ∩ B = {5, 6}
• Example 2:
A = {1, 2, 3, 4}
A ∩ A = {1, 2, 3, 4}
• Example 3:
• A = {1, 2, 3, 4}
• A∩Ø=Ø or A∩{}={}
 Disjoint Sets
• Two sets that have no common elements are called
disjoint sets.
• Example: A = {1, 3, 5, 7, 9} and B = {2, 4, 6, 10, 12}
A∩B={}

A B Venn Diagram
A∩B={}
 Complement
• If A and B are two sets, the complement of B
with respect to A is defined as the set of all
elements that belong to A but not to B.
• It is denoted by A – B.
• A – B ={x | x Є A and x Є B
• B – A ={x | x Є B and x Є A

A B A B

A-B B-A
 Complement
• If U is a universal set containing A, then U –
A is called the complement of A.
• It is denoted by Ā.
• Ā = {x | x Є A}
• Example:
A = {x | x is an integer and x ≤ 8} and U = Z
(Z ->set of all integers).
Ā = {x | x is an integer and x > 8}
Properties of Complement

• Ā=A
• AUĀ=U
• A∩Ā=Ø
• Ø=U
• U={}
• AUB=Ā∩B
• A∩B=ĀUB
 Symmetric difference
• If A and B are two sets, their symmetric difference
can be defined as the set of all elements that
belong to A or to B, but not to both A and B.
• It is denoted by A O B.
A O B ={x | (x Є A and x Є B)
or (x Є B and x Є A)}
A B

A O B = (A – B) U (B – A)

B-A
 Symmetric Difference: Example
• Example1:
A = {1, 2, 3, 4} and B = {3, 4, 5, 6, 7}
A O B = {1, 2, 5, 6}
• Example 2:
A = {a, c, f} and B = {f, h, k}
A O B = {a, c, h, k}
• Example 3:
A = {2, 4, 5, 9} and C ={x| x is a positive
integer and x2 ≤ 16}
A O B = {5, 9, 3, 1}
 1.2 Exercises
• Identify the following as true or false.
 yЄA∩B
x Є B U C
wЄB∩C
u Є C

U
A y
z
B
w x
u
C
v
 The Addition Principle
• |A U B U C|
= |A| + |B| + |C| - |A ∩ B| - |B ∩ C| - |A ∩ C| + |A ∩ B ∩ C|

Inclusion-exclusion principle:

|A ∩ B|

A |A ∩ B ∩ C|
B
|A ∩ C|
C

|B ∩ C|
 1.2 Exercises
• A survey of 500 television watchers produced the
following information: 285 watch football games,
195 watch hockey games, 115 watch basketball
games, 45 watch football and basketball games,
70 watch football and hockey games, 50 watch
hockey and basketball games, and 50 do not
watch any of the three kinds of games.

a) How many people in the survey watch all three

kinds of games?

b) How many people watch exactly one of the

sports?
 1.2 Exercises
|F U H U B|
= |F| + |H| + |B| - |F ∩ H| - |H ∩ B| - |F ∩ B| + |F ∩ H ∩ B|

|F ∩ H|

F |F ∩ H ∩ B|
H
|F ∩ B|
B

|H ∩ B|
 1.2 Exercises
Given:
|F| = 285, |H| = 195, |B| = 115, |F ∩ H| = 70, |H ∩ B| = 50,
|F ∩ B| = 45, |F U H U B| = 500 – 50 = 450

|F U H U B|
= |F| + |H| + |B| - |F ∩ H| - |H ∩ B| - |F ∩ B| + |F ∩ H ∩ B|

|F ∩ H|

F |F ∩ H ∩ B|
H
|F ∩ B|
B

|H ∩ B|
 1.2 Exercises
Given: |F| = 285, |H| = 195, |B| = 115, |F ∩ H| = 70,
|H ∩ B| = 50, |F ∩ B| = 45, |F U H U B| = 500 – 50 = 450

|F U H U B|
= |F| + |H| + |B| - |F ∩ H| - |H ∩ B| - |F ∩ B| + |F ∩ H ∩ B|
or, 450 = 285+195+115 -70 – 50 – 45 + |F ∩ H ∩ B|
or, |F ∩ H ∩ B| = 20

Ans. for 24(a)

|F ∩ H|= 70
F |F ∩ H ∩ B|= 20
H

|F ∩ B| = 45 B

|H ∩ B|= 50
 1.2 Exercises
Given: |F| = 285, |H| = 195, |B| = 115, |F ∩ H| = 70, |H ∩ B| = 50,
|F ∩ B| = 45, |F U H U B| = 500 – 50 = 450
From 24(a): |F ∩ H ∩ B| = 20

No. of people watching only Football = 285 – 70 – 45 + 20 = 190

No. of people watching only Hockey= 195 – 70 – 50 + 20 = 95
No. of people watching only Basketball = 115 – 45 – 50 + 20 = 40.
Total no. of people watching exactly one of the sports = 190 + 95 + 40 = 325

Ans. for 24(b)

|F ∩ H|= 70
F |F ∩ H ∩ B|
H

|F ∩ B| = 45 B

|H ∩ B| = 50