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The document defines and provides examples of universal sets and subsets. A universal set is the collection of all objects being considered within a particular context or theory. All other sets within that framework are subsets of the universal set. Symbols are often used to represent universal and other sets. A subset contains elements that are also elements of the universal set, from which other subsets can be derived. The document provides several examples to illustrate these concepts.

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29 views5 pages

My Network Place

The document defines and provides examples of universal sets and subsets. A universal set is the collection of all objects being considered within a particular context or theory. All other sets within that framework are subsets of the universal set. Symbols are often used to represent universal and other sets. A subset contains elements that are also elements of the universal set, from which other subsets can be derived. The document provides several examples to illustrate these concepts.

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jomarinallares
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Universal set

It is often symbolized by the Greek letter xi.

A universal set is the collection of all objects in a particular context or theory.


All othersets in that framework constitute subsets of the universal set, which
is denoted as an uppercase italic letter U. The objects themselves are known
as elements or members of U.

Definition of a Universal Set


A universal set does not have to be the set of everything that is known or thought to
exist - such as the planets, extraterrestrial life and the galaxies - even though that would
be one example of a universal set. Auniversal set is all the elements, or members, of
any group under consideration.
For instance, all the stars of the Milky Way galaxy could be a universal set if we are
discussing all the stars of the Milky Way galaxy. This type of universal set might be
appropriate for astronomers, but it is still a pretty large set of objects to consider.
A typical universal set in mathematics is the set of natural numbers as shown
below: N = {1, 2, 3, 4, ...}.
Boldface capital letters are sometimes used to identify certain number sets, such
as N for natural numbers. We usually use braces to enclose a set. The ellipsis mark (...)
tells us that the set of natural numbers goes on without end; so this universal set is also
an infinite set. However, universal sets can also be finite sets.
Let's look at an example of a universal set that is finite. The set of all the presidents of
the United States is an example of a universal set that is finite. This set may increase
every four years, but at any given time, it is a finite universal set if we are discussing all
the men who have been president of the United States.

Symbols in Universal Sets


Sets are usually named with a capital letter. Therefore, the universal set is usually
named with the capital letter U. This will be the notation used in this lesson.
Sometimes, alternate notation might be used for a universal set, such as the example of
the set of natural numbers shown above. The set of natural numbers is not necessarily a
universal set. Whether a set is a universal set is based on the structure of a problem or
on the situation under examination. But the point here is that alternate notation can be
used to name a universal set as long as it is practical and clear to the observer.

Subsets of Universal Sets


If all the elements of set A are also elements of set B, then A is a subset of B. This
means that subsets can be created from any defined universal set. We should first
acknowledge that any universal set is a subset of itself. However, a subset usually has
less elements than the universal set from which it is created.
Let's go back to the set of natural numbers. Suppose we wanted to list all the natural
numbers that satisfy the equation 20 < x < 25. This subset is shown next: {21, 22, 23,
24}.
The set of natural numbers itself is a subset of the set of real numbers, which could be
another example of a universal set. Again, what is or isn't a universal set is based on the
context of a problem.
Let's next go back to the universal set we created for the presidents of the United
States: U = the set of the presidents of the United States. We want to create a subset
from U.
We will create a subset of all the presidents of the United States who died in office. Let's
call this set A, which is defined next: A = {Harrison, Taylor, Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley,
Harding, F. Roosevelt, Kennedy}

Subset
Definitions[edit]
If A and B are sets and every element of A is also an element of B, then:

A is a subset of (or is included in) B, denoted by ,

or equivalently

B is a superset of (or includes) A, denoted by

If A is a subset of B, but A is not equal to B (i.e. there exists at least one element
of B which is not an element of A), then

A is also a proper (or strict) subset of B; this is written as

or equivalently

B is a proper superset of A; this is written as

For any set S, the inclusion relation is a partial order on the set of all subsets
of S (the power set of S) defined by . We may also partially order by reverse set
inclusion by defining .
When quantified, A B is represented as: x{xA xB}.[1]

Property[edit]
-A is a subset of (or is included in) B, denoted by ,
If and only if the cardinality of their intersection is equal to the cardinality of A.

Formally:

and symbols[edit]
Some authors use the symbols and to indicate subset and superset respectively;
that is, with the same meaning and instead of the symbols, and .[2] So for example,
for these authors, it is true of every set A that A A.
Other authors prefer to use the symbols and to indicate proper subset and
superset, respectively, instead of and .[3] This usage makes and analogous to
the inequality symbols and <. For example, if x y then x may or may not equal y, but
if x < y, then x may not equal y, and is less than y. Similarly, using the convention that
is proper subset, if A B, then A may or may not equal B, but if A B, then A definitely
does not equal B.

Examples[edit]

The regular polygons form a subset of the polygons

- The set A = {1, 2} is a proper subset of B = {1, 2, 3}, thus both expressions A B and A B
are true.
- The set D = {1, 2, 3} is a subset of E = {1, 2, 3}, thus D E is true, and D E is not true
(false).
- Any set is a subset of itself, but not a proper subset. (X X is true, and X X is false for any
set X.)
- The empty set { }, denoted by , is also a subset of any given set X. It is also always a proper
subset of any set except itself.
- The set {x: x is a prime number greater than 10} is a proper subset of {x: x is an odd number
greater than 10}
- The set of natural numbers is a proper subset of the set of rational numbers; likewise, the set
of points in a line segmentis a proper subset of the set of points in a line. These are two
examples in which both the subset and the whole set are infinite, and the subset has the

same cardinality (the concept that corresponds to size, that is, the number of elements, of a
finite set) as the whole; such cases can run counter to one's initial intuition.
- The set of rational numbers is a proper subset of the set of real numbers. In this example, both
sets are infinite but the latter set has a larger cardinality (orpower) than the former set.

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