ALGEBRA

Math 10-3
 LESSON 1
SETS AND THE REAL NUMBER SYSTEM
Introduction:
Collection of things such as books on a shelf, baseball cards, stamps,
and toys are common.

Mathematics greatly relies on that notion of collection called a set.

. One of the most important sets in algebra is the set of real numbers.

Probably the first numbers with which most ancient people

became concerned were counting numbers. These numbers are
just some of the essential elements of the set of real numbers.
CONCEPT OF SETS
 SETS

The basic notion of a set was first developed by Georg Cantor toward
the end of the nineteenth century.

Both counting and measurement lead to numbers and sets, and

through the use of numbers and sets it is possible to obtain much
insight in every field of mathematics.
 Definition of Set

A set is a well-defined collection of distinct objects.

A set is a gathering together into a whole of definite, distinct objects

of our perception or of our thought – which are called elements of
the set.

Examples:
a) The set of real numbers.
b) The set of counting numbers less than 10.
c) The set of months of the year that has 31 days.
d) The set of even numbers between 3 and 25.
 SETS

• Each object of a set is called a member or an element of the

set. The symbol  is used to indicate that an element belongs
to a given set and the symbol  is used to denote that an
element does not belong to the set.

• Capital letters are often used to represent or stand for a set. If

a is an element of set S, then a belongs to S and is written
aS

• The notation a  S means that a does not belong to S.

 Methods of Describing a Set

1. Roster or Listing Method – it describes the set by listing all

elements of the set separated by commas and enclosed in braces
{ }.

2. Rule Method or Set-Builder Notation – it describes the set by

enclosing a descriptive phrase of the elements in braces.
 EXAMPLES

Sets Roster or Listing Rule or Set Builder

Method Notation
A is the set of items A= {socks, shoes, A={x|x is an item
you wear watches, shirts,….} you wear}
B is set of types of B= {index, middle, B={x|x is a type of
finger ring, pinky} finger}
B is the set of B={3, 4, 5, 6} C={x|x is a counting
counting numbers number between 2
between 2 and 7 and 7}
D is the set of even D={.., -4, -2, 0, 2, 4, ..} D={x|x is an even
numbers number}
E is the set of odd E= {..., -3, -1, 1, 3, ...} E={x|x is an odd
numbers number}
Sets Roster or Listing Rule or Set Builder
Method Notation
F is the set of prime F= {2, 3, 5, 7, 11, F={x|x is a prime
numbers 13, 17, ...} number}
G is the set of positive G= {3, 6, 9} G={x|x is a positive
multiples of 3 that are multiples of 3 that
less than 10 is less than 10
C is the set of months C= {Jan, March, C={x|x is a month
of the year that has May, July, Aug, Oct, of the year that has
31 days Dec } 31 days}
If P is the set of letters P={E, L, M, N, T} D={x|x is a letter in
in the word ELEMENT the word ELEMENT}
D is the set vowels in D={a, e,i,o,u} E={x|x is a vowel in
the alphabet the alphabet}
Note:
The elements of a set may appear in any order and are
never repeated.

The vertical bar is read “such that” and x represents any element of
the set.
Exercise: Write each of the following sets using roster method
and rule method.
1. The consonants in the alphabet.
2. The four elementary operations of arithmetic.
3. The single digits used in our decimal system.
4. The set of all odd numbers between 2 and 7.
5. The fraction whose numerator is 1 and whose denominator
is a counting number less than 5.
6. The set of all perfect squares less than 25.
 CARDINALITY OF SET

The cardinality of a set S, denoted by n(S), or |S| is the number

of distinct elements in the set.
KINDS OF SETS
•A finite set is a set whose elements can be counted.

•An infinite set is a set whose elements cannot be counted.

•A null or empty set denoted by or { } is a set that has no element.
•The universal set, denoted by U, is a set that contains all the
elements in consideration.

Note: The cardinality of a null or empty set is zero.

 EXAMPLE

CARDINALITY KIND
A= {1, 2, 3, ...,20} n (A)= 20 finite
B= {index, middle, ring, pinky} n (B)= 4 finite
B={3, 4, 5, 6} n (B)= 4 finite
D={.., -4, -2, 0, 2, 4, ..} n (D) =infinite infinite
E= {..., -3, -1, 1, 3, ...} n (E)=infinite infinite
F= {2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, ...} n (F)= infinite infinite
G is the set of prime numbers n (G) = 0 Null or { }
between 19 and 23
H= {0} n (H) = 1 finite
P={x|x is a perfect square n (P) = 0 Null or { }
integer between 10 and 15}
Exercise: Determine the kind of the following sets. Find also its
cardinality.
1. The consonants in the alphabet.
2. The counting numbers between 2 and 7.
3. The single digits used in our decimal system.
4. The set of all odd numbers between 2 and 7.
5. The fraction whose numerator is 1 and whose denominator
is a counting number less than 5.
6. The letters in the word ELEMENT.
7. E = {x|x is a vowel in the word “spy”}
8. N = {1, 2, 3, 4, …}
9. The set of all female players in the PBA.
10. R = (x|x is an integer between ¼ and ½}
 Exercise: Determine the kind of the following sets. Find
also its cardinality.

11. R = {…,-2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, …}

12. The set of all points in a parabola
13. {0}
14. 𝑥|𝑥 2 − 25 = 0}
 Set Relationships

A one-to-one correspondence exists between two sets A and B if

it is possible to associate the elements of A with the elements of
B in such a way that each element of each set is associated with
exactly one element of the other.

Example:
A = {a, b, c} and B = {1, 2, 3}
 A. Equivalent and Equal Sets
• Two sets A and B are equivalent, denoted by A  B , if they have
the same cardinality.
• Two sets A and B are equal, denoted by A=B if the elements
of A and B are exactly the same.

EQUIVALENT SETS EQUAL SETS

{1,2,3,4,5}  {a,b,c,d,e} {1,2,3} = {2,1,3}
{x|x is the set of first four
{x | x 2  4  0}  { y | y 2  9  0} positive whole
numbers}={4,2,1,3}
{x|x is a prime number less than {r, a,t} = {a,r,t}
25}  {1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}

NOTE: Equal sets are always equivalent but equivalent sets are not always equal.
Exercises: Tell whether the given sets are equal or equivalent.
a) {v, o, l, e} and {1, 2, 3, 4}
b) {1, 2, 3} and {2, 1, 3}
c) 𝑥|𝑥 2 − 49 and {-7, 7}
d) The set of letters in the word “real” and the set of all odd
numbers between 4 and 12
 B. Joint and Disjoint Sets

• Two sets A and B are joint if and only if A and B have common
elements; otherwise, A and B are disjoint.

EXAMPLE

A  2,4,6,7 A and B are joint sets

B  2,4,5,8 B and C are joint sets

C  1,3,5,8 A and C are disjoint sets

,
 Exercises: Determine if the given pair of sets are joint or disjoint.

1. {5, -6, 2, 4}, {8, 6, -2}

2. The set of all counting numbers, {1000}
3. {0, 1, 2,3, …}, {…, -3, -2,0}
4. {ace, face, case, lace}, {a,c,e}
5. {x|x is a perfect square}, {x|x is a perfect cube}
.

C. Subsets

• Set A is a subset of set of B, denoted by A  B , if and only if

every element of A is an element of B.

• If there is an element of set A which is not found in set B, then

A is not a subset of B, denoted by A  /B .

Examples: 1. Determine if the following sets are subsets or

not a subsets
1. A = {a,b,c} and B = {a, b, d}
2. C = {1,2,3} and D = {1,2,3,4,5}
 Example 2: Let A be all multiples of 4 and B be all multiples
of 2. Is A a subset of B? And is B a subset of A?

The sets are:

A = {..., -8, -4, 0, 4, 8, ...}
B = {..., -8, -6, -4, -2, 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, ...}

By pairing off members of the two sets, we can see that every
member of A is also a member of B, but every member of B is not a
member of A.

A is a subset of B, but B is not a subset of A or A  B, B 

/ A
 D. Proper Subsets

A is a proper subset of B denoted by A  B if and only if

every element in A is also in B, and there exists at least
one element in B that is not in A.

{1, 2, 3} is a subset of {1, 2, 3}, but is not a proper subset of {1, 2, 3}

or {1,2,3}  {1,2,3} but {1,2,3  {1,2,3}

{1, 2, 3} is a proper subset of {1, 2, 3, 4} because
the element 4 is not in the first set
or {1,2,3}  {1,2,3,4}

NOTE:
• If A is a proper subset of B, then it is also a subset of B
• The empty set is a subset of every set, including the empty
set itself.
Exercises: Insert either ⊆, 𝑜𝑟 ⊈ in the blank to make the
statement correct .

Given: N = {1,2,3,4,…}, F = {1,4,6,9},

G = {2,4,6,8,10}, P = {4,6) and
Q = (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,,8,9,10}
1. Q ____N
2. F ____ Q
3. G ____ Q
4. P _____ G
5. G _____ F
6. P _____ N
7. Q _____ P
 E. Power set of A

• The power set of A, denoted by  A , is the set whose

elements are all the subsets of A.

If A  2,4,6, find power set of A

 A   , 2, 4, 6, 2,4, 2,6, 4,6, 2,4,6

A null set is a subset of any given set.

Any set is a subset of itself.

For any given set of cardinality n, there are 2 n subsets, where n is
the number of elements, that can be formed for any given set.
Example: How many subsets does each of the following sets
have?
1. D = {J,O,H,N}
2. E = {BENCY}
3. O = {1,4,3}
 VENN DIAGRAM

Venn Diagram is the pictorial representation in dealing with the

relations between sets, after the English logician James Venn.

A B

A and B are disjoint sets. A / B, and B 

/ A
U
B

A  B, A  U , B  U
U
A

B  A, A  U , B  U
 A B

A and B are joint sets

OPERATIONS ON SETS
 A. UNION OF SETS
The union of two sets A and B, denoted by A  B , is the set
whose elements belong to A or to B or to both A and B. In
symbol,

A  B  x x  A or x  B or x  A and B
EXAMPLE

If A  {1,2,3} and B  {b, c, d }, then A  B  {1,2,3, b, c, d }.

If C  {1,3,5,8} and D  {2,3,4,5}, then C  D  {1,2,3,4,5,8}.

In the Venn diagram below, the shaded region represents the
indicated operation.

A B

A B
 B. INTERSECTION OF SETS
The intersection of two sets A and B, denoted by A  B , is
the set whose elements are common to A and B. In symbol,

A  B  x x  A and x  B

EXAMPLE

If A  {2,4,6,8} and B  {0,1,2,3,4}, then A  B  {2,4}.

If C  {5,10,15} and D  {1,2,3}, then C  D  {}.

Two sets are disjoint if their intersection is an empty or null set.

In the Venn diagram below, the shaded region represents the
indicated operation.

A B

A B
 C. COMPLIMENT OF A SET
The complement of set A, denoted by A’, is the set with
elements found in the universal set, but not in A; that is, the
difference of the universal set and A. In symbol,

A'  x x U and x  A
EXAMPLE

If U  {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9} and B  {1,3,5,7,9}, then B'  {0,2,4,6,8}.

If U  {1,2,3,4,...} and D  {4,5,6,7,...}, then D'  {1,2,3}.

In the Venn diagram below, the shaded region
represents the indicated operation.

U
A

A’
 D. DIFFERENCE OF SETS

The difference of two sets A and B, denoted by A - B, is the set

whose elements are in A but not in B, In symbol,

A  B  x x  A and x  B

EXAMPLE

If A  {2,3,4,5} and B  {1,2,3}, then A  B  {4,5}.

 VENN DIAGRAM
In the Venn diagram below, the shaded region represents the
indicated operation.

A B

A B
 E. CARTESIAN PRODUCT OF SETS

• The Cartesian product of two sets A and B, denoted by A x B ,

is the set of ordered pairs such that x is an element of A and y
is an element of B. In symbol,

AxB  x, y  x  A and y  B

EXAMPLE

If A  {1,2} and B  {a, b}, then AxB  {(1, a), (1, b), (2, a), (2, b)}.

Note : AxB  BxA

Example: Let A = {a,b,c}, B = {a,y,z} and C = {a,y,3,4}. Find each
of the following:
a. A U C b. (A U B) ∩ C c. A – B
d. (B U C) e. A ∩ 𝐵′ f. (A U C)’
 EXAMPLE

Using Venn diagram, illustrate the given set by shading the

region it represents.
a. ( A  B)  C

A A
C B C B

A B
 A
C B

 A  B  C
 EXAMPLE

Using Venn diagram, illustrate the given set by shading the

region it represents.
b. ( A  B)  (C  A)

A A

C B C B
A B (C  A)
 A
C B

 A  B  C  A  
 Set Identities
Let A, B and C be any sets and U be a universal
set upon which A, B, and C are defined. The
following laws hold:
Lawa Description
1. Commutative Laws A ∩ 𝐵 = 𝐵 ∩ 𝐴; 𝐴 ∪ 𝐵 = 𝐵 ∪ 𝐴
2. Associative Laws 𝐴∩ 𝐵∩𝐶 = 𝐴∩𝐵 ∩𝐶
A∪ 𝐵∪𝐶 = 𝐴∪𝐵 ∪𝐶
3. Distributive Laws 𝐴 ∩ 𝐵 ∪ 𝐶 = 𝐴 ∩ 𝐵 ∪ (𝐴 ∩ 𝐶)
𝐴 ∪ 𝐵 ∩ 𝐶 = 𝐴 ∪ 𝐵 ∩ (𝐴 ∪ 𝐶)

See other set identities p .10

 Set Applications
This time we deal with problems that can be solved by either set
operations or Venn diagrams.
In counting the number of elements involved in the combined sets,
the following principle may be useful.

Inclusion-Exclusion Principle
Let A and B be any two finite sets. Then

𝐴 ∪ 𝐵 = 𝐴 + 𝐵 − |𝐴 ∩ 𝐵|

Examples:
1. Let 𝐴 = {1,3,5,7,9,10} and 𝐵 = 2,4,6,8,10 .
Find 𝐴 ∪ 𝐵
2. In a group of 50 mothers, a survey was conducted on the
brands (X and Y) of detergent bars they use. There were 34 who
use brand X and 40 who use brand Y. If all the 50 mothers use at
least one of the brands, how many mothers use both the
detergent bars?
 Solve each of the following problems:
• 1. In a roomful of people, 205 attended a Catholic service,
102 attended an Aglipay service, 32 attended both, and 88
attended neither. How many people attended an Aglipay
service only? A Catholic service only?
• 2 In a survey of 50 music lovers, 18 enjoyed classical music,
29 enjoyed rock music, and 14 enjoyed both. How many in
this survey enjoyed classical music only? rock music only?
Neither of the two?
3. In a survey concerning the number of students enrolled
in Mathematics, it was found out that 30 are enrolled in
Algebra, Calculus and Trigonometry; 40 in Algebra and
Trigonometry; 45 in Trigonometry and Calculus; 50 in
Algebra and Calculus; 80 in Algebra; and 70 in Calculus. If
there are 130 students in all, how many students are
enrolled in Trigonometry?
3
4. At ABC supermarket shoppers were asked what brand of
detergent bars {X, Y , Z} they use. The following responses were
gathered: 41 use brand X, 27 use brand Y, 32 use brand Z, 24 use
both brands X and Z , 20 use both brands X and Y, 18 use both
brands Y and Z, and 16 use all the three. How many use a)
brands X and Y and not brand Z, b) brands X and Z and not
brand Y, c) brands Y and Z and not brand X, d) brand X only, e)
brand Y only, and f) brand Z only. How many of the shoppers
interviewed use at least one of the three brands?
5. In a survey among moviegoers’ preferences, 60% like fiction,
55% like drama, 56% like comedy, 25% like fiction and
drama, 30% like fiction and comedy, 26% like comedy and
drama, and 5% like fiction, drama and comedy. Only 5% of
the respondents do not prefer any types of movies
mentioned.
a. Draw a Venn Diagram corresponding to the given data.
b. What are the percentages of moviegoers who prefer
1. comedy but not fiction?
2. drama only?
3. fiction or comedy but not drama?
4. comedy and drama but not fiction?
 Assignment 1A
• Exercise 1.2
A #’s 1-8 even numbers only
B #’s 1-15 odd numbers only
C #’s 1-9 even numbers only
E #’s 1-6 all numbers
F #’s 3, 5, 7, 8
REAL NUMBER SYSTEM
 ELEMENTS OF THE SET OF REAL NUMBER
In mathematics it is useful to place numbers with similar
characteristics into sets.
All the numbers in the Number System are classified into
different sets and those sets are called as Number Sets.

A real number is any element of the set R, which is the

union of the set of rational numbers and the set
of irrational numbers. The set R gives rise to other sets
such as the set of imaginary numbers and the set
of complex numbers.

The real number system is fundamental in the study of algebra .

The set of real numbers is divided into natural numbers, whole

numbers, integers, rational numbers, and irrational numbers.
These sets of numbers are used extensively in the study of
algebra.
 SET DESCRIPTION
Natural numbers (N) Set of the counting numbers 1, 2,
3, 4 and so on.

Whole numbers (W) Set of the natural numbers and

zero
Integers (Z) Set of natural numbers along
with their negatives and zero
(e.g. -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3).

Rational numbers (Q) Set of real numbers that are

ratios of two integers (with
nonzero denominators). A
rational number is either a
terminating decimal or a non-
terminating but repeating
decimal.
 SET DESCRIPTION
Irrational numbers (I) Set of non-terminating, non-
repeating decimals. Irrational
numbers are numbers which
cannot be expressed as
quotient of two integers.
Real numbers (R) The union of the sets of rational
numbers and irrational numbers
PROPERTIES OF REAL NUMBERS
 BASIC PROPERTIES OF REAL NUMBERS

PROPERTY ADDITION MULTIPLICATION

Closure a bR ab R

Commutative ab  ba ab  ba
Associative a  b  c  a  b  c a  b  c  a  b  c
Distributive a(b  c)  ab  ac
Identity a0  a a 1  a
1
a   a  0
Inverse a   1, a  0
a
• 0 is the identity element for addition and 1 is the identity
element for multiplication.
• -a is the additive inverse of a and is the multiplicative inverse.
 PROPERTIES OF ORDER OF REAL NUMBERS

Let a, b and c be real numbers. The following properties of order

of real numbers hold.

PROPERTY DESCRIPTION

Trichotomy Property of Order Among a<b, b<c, a=b only one is

Transitive Property of Order
Addition Property of Order
Multiplication Property of
Order:
true.
If a<b and b<c, then a<c
If a<b, then a+c < b+c
If a<b and c>0, then ac<bc
If a<b and c<0, then ac>bc
 PROPERTIES OF EQUALITY

Let a, b and c be real numbers. The following properties of

equality hold.

PROPERTY DESCRIPTION

Reflexive Property a=a

Symmetric Property If a = b, then b = a.
Transitive Property If a = b and b = c, then a = c.
Substitution Property If a = b, then a can be replaced by
b in any statement involving a or b.
 ABSOLUTE VALUE OF NUMBERS

• Every real number corresponds to a point on the number line,

and every point on the number line corresponds to
a real number.
• The absolute value of a real number a, denoted | a |, is the
distance between a and 0 on the number line.
• For instance, | 3 | = 3 and | –3 | = 3 because both 3 and –3
are 3 units from zero.
Definition of Absolute Value
The absolute value of the real number a is defined by

a if a  0
a 
 a if a  0
EXAMPLE

|5| = 5 |–4| = 4 |0| = 0

Note:
The second part of the definition of absolute value states that if
a < 0, then | a | = – a. For instance, if a = – 4, then
| a | = | – 4 | = –(– 4) = 4.
 ORDER OF OPERATIONS AGREEMENT

The Order of Operations Agreement

If grouping symbols are present, evaluate by first performing the
operations within the grouping symbols, innermost grouping
symbols first, while observing the order given in steps 1 to 3.

Step 1 Evaluate exponential expressions.

Step 2 Do multiplication and division as they occur from
left to right.
Step 3 Do addition and subtraction as they occur from left
to right.

We call this as the PEMDAS RULE

 EXAMPLE
Evaluate: 1. 5 – 7(23 – 52) – 16  23
Solution:

= 5 – 7(23 – 25) – 16  23 Begin inside the parentheses and

evaluate 52 = 25.

Continue inside the parentheses and

= 5 – 7(–2) – 16  23 evaluate 23 – 25 = –2.

Evaluate 23 = 8.
= 5 – 7(– 2) – 16  8
Perform multiplication and division
= 5 – (–14) – 2 from left to right.

Perform addition and subtraction

= 17 from left to right.
 Evaluate:2. 3  52 – 6(–32 – 42)  (–15)
Solution:

= 3  52 – 6(–9 – 16)  (–15) Begin inside the parentheses.

= 3  52 – 6(–25)  (–15) Simplify –9 – 16.

= 3  25 – 6(–25)  (–15) Evaluate 52.

= 75 + 150  (–15) Do multiplication and division from

left to right.

= 75 + (–10) Do addition.

= 65
 Examples: Perform the indicated series of operations:

1. −2 + 15 ÷ 5 × −4 − (3 − 4 ÷ 2)
2. −32 + 28 ÷ 2 − 32 + 3[4 − −2 3 ]
3. 49 − −2 3 + 50 ÷ 9 − −16 + 75 ÷ −15 × −2
3
4. 184 ÷ 23 × −24 + 3 −4 − 14 × 9 − −5 2 − −125
3
5. 8 ÷ 4 2 + −8 + 22 + 3 −4 − 7 × 9 ÷ (−3)2
 Assignment 1B
• Exercise 1.5 pp.27-28
C #’s 4-22 even numbers only
D #’s 1, 2, 3, 4
E #’s 1, 2, 3, 4
F #’s 1, 2, 3, 4