EducationMathPre-AlgebraFind the Union, Intersection, Relative Complement, and Complement of Sets
Find the Union, Intersection, Relative Complement, and Complement of Sets
Set theory has four important operations: union, intersection, relative complement, and complement. These operations let you compare sets to determine how they relate to each other.
Union: Combine elements
The union of two sets is the set of their combined elements. For example, the union of {1, 2} and {3, 4} is {1, 2, 3, 4}. The symbol for this operation is , so
{1, 2} {3, 4} = {1, 2, 3, 4}
Similarly, here’s how to find the union of P and Q:
P Q = {1, 7} {4, 5, 6} = {1, 4, 5, 6, 7}
When two sets have one or more elements in common, these elements appear only once in their union set. For example, consider the union of Q and R. In this case, the elements 4 and 6 are in both sets, but each of these numbers appears once in their union:
Similarly, the union of any set with an empty set, , is itself:
P = P
Intersection: Find common elements
The intersection of two sets is the set of their common elements (the elements that appear in both sets). For example, the intersection of {1, 2, 3} and {2, 3, 4} is {2, 3}. The symbol for this operation is . You can write the following:
{1, 2, 3} {2, 3, 4} = {2, 3}
Similarly, here’s how to write the intersection of Q and R:
Q R = {4, 5, 6} {2, 4, 6, 8, 10} = {4, 6}
When two sets have no elements in common, their intersection is the empty set ():
P Q = {1, 7} {4, 5, 6} =
The intersection of any set with itself is itself:
Answers & Comments
Answer:
D.{1,3,5}
Solution:
BrandToggle navigation
EducationMathPre-AlgebraFind the Union, Intersection, Relative Complement, and Complement of Sets
Find the Union, Intersection, Relative Complement, and Complement of Sets
Set theory has four important operations: union, intersection, relative complement, and complement. These operations let you compare sets to determine how they relate to each other.
Union: Combine elements
The union of two sets is the set of their combined elements. For example, the union of {1, 2} and {3, 4} is {1, 2, 3, 4}. The symbol for this operation is , so
{1, 2} {3, 4} = {1, 2, 3, 4}
Similarly, here’s how to find the union of P and Q:
P Q = {1, 7} {4, 5, 6} = {1, 4, 5, 6, 7}
When two sets have one or more elements in common, these elements appear only once in their union set. For example, consider the union of Q and R. In this case, the elements 4 and 6 are in both sets, but each of these numbers appears once in their union:
Q R = {4, 5, 6} {2, 4, 6, 8, 10} = {2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10}
The union of any set with itself is itself:
P P = P
Similarly, the union of any set with an empty set, , is itself:
P = P
Intersection: Find common elements
The intersection of two sets is the set of their common elements (the elements that appear in both sets). For example, the intersection of {1, 2, 3} and {2, 3, 4} is {2, 3}. The symbol for this operation is . You can write the following:
{1, 2, 3} {2, 3, 4} = {2, 3}
Similarly, here’s how to write the intersection of Q and R:
Q R = {4, 5, 6} {2, 4, 6, 8, 10} = {4, 6}
When two sets have no elements in common, their intersection is the empty set ():
P Q = {1, 7} {4, 5, 6} =
The intersection of any set with itself is itself:
P P = P
But the intersection of any set with is :
P =