Class 8 - Sets (Lecture Notes)

What is a Set?
• A set is a well-defined collection of distinct objects.

– Example: A = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

What is an element of a Set?

• The objects in a set are called its elements.

– So in case of the above Set A, the elements would be 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. We can say,
1  A, 2 A etc.

• Usually we denote Sets by CAPITAL LETTERs like A, B, C, etc. while their elements
are denoted in small letters like x, y, z etc.

• If x is an element of A, then we say x belongs to A and we represent it as x  A

• If x is not an element of A, then we say that x does not belong to A and we represent it as
xA

How to describe a Set?

• Roaster Method or Tabular Form

– In this form, we just list the elements

– Example A = {1, 2, 3, 4} or B = {a, b, c, d, e}

• Set- Builder Form or Rule Method or Description Method

– In this method, we list the properties satisfied by all elements of the set

– Example A = {x : x  N, x < 5}

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 Some examples of Roster Form vs Set-builder Form
Roster Form Set-builder Form
1 {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} {x | x  N, x <6}

2 {2, 4, 6, 8, 10} {x | x = 2n, n N, 1 ≤ n ≤ 5}

3 {1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36} {x | x = n2, n  N, 1 ≤ n ≤ 6}

Sets of Numbers
1. Natural Numbers (N)

 N = {1, 2, 3,4 ,5 6, 7, …}

2. Integers (Z)

 Z = {…, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, …}

3. Whole Numbers (W)

 W = {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…}

4. Rational Numbers (Q)

𝑝
 { : p  Z, q  Z, q ≠ 0}
𝑞

Finite Sets & Infinite Sets

 Finite Set: A set where the process of counting the elements of the set would
surely come to an end is called finite set
• Example: All natural numbers less than 50
• All factors of the number 36
 Infinite Set: A set that consists of uncountable number of distinct elements is
called infinite set.
• Example: Set containing all natural numbers {x | x  N, x > 100}

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 Cardinal number of Finite Set
 The number of distinct elements contained in a finite set A is called the cardinal
number of A and is denoted by n(A)

• Example A = {1, 2, 3, 4} then n(A) = 4

• A = {x | x is a letter in the word ‘APPLE’}. Therefore A = {A, P, L, E} and

n(A) = 4

• A = {x | x is the factor of 36}, Therefore A = { 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18, 36}

and n(A) = 9

Empty Set
• A set containing no elements at all is called an empty set or a null set or a void set.

• It is denoted by ϕ (phai)

• In roster form you write ϕ = { }

• Also n (ϕ) = 0

• Examples: {x | x  N, 3 < x <4} = ϕ

• {x | x is an even prime number, x > 5} = ϕ

Non Empty Set

• A set which has at least one element is called a non-empty set

• Example: A = {1, 2, 3} or B = {1}

Singleton Set
• A set containing exactly one element is called a singleton set

• Example: A = {a} or B = {1}

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 Equal Sets
• Two set A and B are said to be equal sets and written as A = B if every element of
A is in B and every element of B is in A

• Example A = {1, 2, 3, 4} and B = {4, 2, 3, 1}

• It is not about the number of elements. It is the elements themselves.

• If the sets are not equal, then we write as A ≠ B

Equivalent Sets
• Two finite sets A and B are said to be equivalent, written as A ↔ B,
if n(A) = n(B), that is they have the same number of elements.

• Example: A = {a, e, i, o, u} and B = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}, Therefore n(A) = 5 and

n(B) = 5 therefore A ↔ B

• Note: Two equal sets are always equivalent but two equivalent sets need not be
equal.

Subsets
• If A and B are two sets given in such a way that every element of A is in B, then
we say A is a subset of B and we write it as A ⊆ B

• Therefore is A ⊆ B and x  A then x  B

• If A is a subset of B, we say B is a superset of A and is written as B  A

• Every set is a subset of itself.

• i.e. A ⊆ A, B ⊆ B etc.

• Empty set is a subset of every set

• i.e. ϕ ⊆ A, ϕ ⊆ B

• If A ⊆ B and B ⊆ A, then A = B
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 • Similarly, if A = B, then A ⊆ B and B ⊆ A

• If set A contains n elements, then there are 2n subsets of A

Power Set
• The set of all possible subsets of a set A is called the power set of A, denoted by P(A). If
A contains n elements, then P(A) = 2n sets.

• i.e. if A = {1, 2}, then P(A) = 22 = 4

• Empty set is a subset of every set

• So in this case the subsets are {1}, {2}, {2, 3} & ϕ

Proper Subset
• Let A be any set and let B be any non-empty subset. Then A is called a proper subset of
B, and is written as A B, if and only if every element of A is in B, and there exists at
least one element in B which is not there in A.

– i.e. if A ⊆ B and A  B, then A B

– Please note that ϕ has no proper subset

– A set containing n elements has (2n – 1) proper subsets.

• i.e. if A = {1, 2, 3, 4}, then the number of proper subsets is (24 – 1) = 15

Universal Set
• If there are some sets in consideration, then there happens to be a set which is a superset
of each one of the given sets. Such a set is known as universal set, to be denoted by U or


• i.e. if A = {1, 2}, B = {3, 4}, and C = {1, 5}, then U or  = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

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 Operations on Sets
• Union of Sets
• The union of sets A and B, denoted by A  B, is the set of all those elements, each
one of which is either in A or in B or in both A and B

• If there is a set A = {2, 3} and B = {a, b}, then A  B = {2, 3, a, b}

• So if A B = {x | x  A or x  B}

• , then x  A  B which means x  A or x B

• And if x  A  B which means x  A or x  B

• Interaction of Sets
• The intersection of sets A and B is denoted by A  B, and is a set of all elements
that are common in sets A and B.

• i.e. if A = {1, 2, 3} and B = {2, 4, 5}, then A  B = {2} as 2 is the only common
element.

• Thus A  B = {x: x  A and x B} then x  A  B i.e. x A and x  B

• And if x  A  B i.e. x A and x  B

• Disjointed Sets

• Two sets A and B are called disjointed, if they have no element in common.
Therefore:

• A  B = ϕ i.e. if A = {2, 3} and B = {4, 5}, then A  B = ϕ

• Intersecting sets

• Two sets are said to be intersecting or overlapping or joint sets, if they have
at least one element in common.

• Therefore two sets A and B are overlapping if and only if A  B  ϕ

• Intersection of sets is Commutative

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 • i.e. A  B = B  A for any sets A and B

• Intersection of sets is Associative

• i.e. for any sets, A, B, C,

• (A  B)  C = A  (B  C)

• If A ⊆ B, then A  B = A

• Since A ⊆ , so A   = A

• For any sets A and B, we have

• A  B ⊆ A and A  B ⊆ B

• A  ϕ = ϕ for every set A

• Difference of Sets
• For any two sets A and B, the difference A – B is a set of all those elements of A
which are not in B.

i.e. if A = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} and B = {4, 5, 6}, Then A – B = {1, 2, 3} and B – A = {6}

Therefore A – B = {x | x  A and x  B}, then x  A – B then x  A but x B

• If A  B then A – B = 

• Complement of a Set
• Let x be the universal set and let A  x. Then the complement of A, denoted by A’
is the set of all those elements of x which are not in A.

• i.e. let  = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5,6 ,7 ,8} and A = {2, 3,4 }, then A’ = {1, 5, 6, 7, 8}

• Thus A’ = {x | x   and x A} clearly x  A’ and x  A

• Please note

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 • ’ =  and ’= 

• A  A’ =  and A  A’ = ϕ

Disruptive laws for Union and Intersection of Sets

• For any three sets A, B, C, we have the following

• A  (B  C) = (A B)  (A  C)

Say A = {1, 2}, B = {2, 3} and C = {3, 4}

Therefore A  (B  C) = {1, 2, 3} and

And (A  B)  (A  C) = {1, 2, 3} and hence equal

• A  (B  C) = (A  B)  (A  C)

Say A = {1, 2}, B = {2, 3} and C = {3, 4}

Then A  (B  C) = {2} and (A  B)  (A  C) = {2} and hence equal

Disruptive laws for Union and Intersection of Sets

• De-Morgan’s Laws

– Let A and B be two subsets of a universal set , then

• (A  B)’ = A’  B’

• (A  B)’ = A’  B’

Let  = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6} and A = {1, 2, 3} and B = {3, 4, 5}

Then A  B = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}, therefore (A  B)’ = {6}

A’ = {4, 5, 6} and B’ = {1, 2, 6}

Therefore A’  B’ = {6}. Hence proven

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