CS 30: Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science Second Semester 2014-2015

Lecture 1: Introduction to Sets

Lecturer: Philip Christian C. Zuniga

Disclaimer: These notes have not been subjected to the usual scrutiny reserved for formal publications.
They may be distributed outside this class only with the permission of the Instructor.

Lecture Objectives:

Differentiate the different kinds of mathematical statements

Give formal definitions of set theoretic terminologies

Prove set properties involving inclusion, equality of sets

Give the structure of the complex number system

1.1 Preliminary definitions

We first define the following classes of mathematical statements:

Undefined terms

Definition

Axiom

Theorem/Proposition

Lemma

Corollary

Definition and examples of the following set theoretic items: sets, elements, subset, complement, union,
intersection, subtraction, cardinality, power sets.

1.2 Set Characterization

Characterizing a set: A set can be charcterized, either by enumerating its contents or by giving a formal
condition on when an element can be in the set. Example:

A = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

A = {x|x Zand x 5}

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There are some cases when enumeration cannot be provided.

A = {1, 2, 3, 4...}

A = {2, 3, 4, 5, ...}
A = {2, 4, 6, 8, ....}
A = {1, 3, 5, 7, ....}
A = {2, 3, 5, 7, 11, ....}
A = {1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, ...}

Example: Assume that the only alphabet we have are a and b. Let M be the set of all strings x such that:
(1) : ax = xa, (2) : ax = xb. Enumerate/Describe the elements of M
Example: The set of complex numbers.

1.3 Some Set Theoretic Properties

Boolean Identities for Sets:

Associativity: A (B C) = (A B) C, A (B C) = (A B) C
Commutativity A B = B A, A B = B A
Idempotence A A = A, A A = A
Empty Set A = A, A =
Distributivity A (B C) = (A B) (A C)
c
Complement (Ac ) = A
c
De Morgans rule 1 (A B) = Ac B c
c
De Morgans rule 2 (A B) = Ac B c

Some derived properties:

Theorem 1.1 Let A and B be sets, then if A B then A B = A

Statements similar to what is presented above is called an implication statement. It has two parts: the
assumption and the conclusion.

Theorem 1.2 Let A and B be sets, then if A B = A then A B

The next statement is called the converse of the implication. It may or may not be true always. If the
implication statement and the converse statements are true then the two statements can be formed as an
equivalence statement

Theorem 1.3 Let A and B be sets, A B if and only if A B = A

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Theorem 1.4 Let A and B be sets, A B if and only if A B = B

Theorem 1.5 Let A and B be sets, then if x A (A B) then x B

Is the converse of the statement presented above true? The statement above can be further simplified to
what statement?

Theorem 1.6 Let A and B be sets, then A (B C) (A B) (A C)

1.4 Proof techniques

The truth of the statements presented above cannot be fully proven using Venn diagrams! A more formal
way of validating its truth value should be done.

Proving - a step by step argumentative approach to showing that a statement is true.

For this meeting we will first consider three proving techniques

1. Direct Proof: It is the straight forward way of proving an implication statement. From the assumption,
we just produce statements that will lead us to conclude that the conclusion is true.
2. Indirect Proof: Instead of proving the implication statement, we will be proving its contrapositive
(instead of proving if p then q, we will prove: if not q then not p).
3. Proof by Contradiction: We assume that the conclusion is false, then we will arrive at some universally
false statement.

Some more notes in proving:

To prove that A B then always start with the statement: Let x A then you should be able to
conclude that x B.
To prove that A = B then you prove that: A B and B A

Exercises 1:

1. Prove that if P (A) P (B) then A B

2. Prove that if A B then A C B C
3. Prove that A B if and only if A B =
4. Prove that A B = A B c

5. Prove that 2 Qc

6. Prove that m Qc
7. Prove that if a, b Q, a + b, ab Q
8. Prove that if a, b Rc then a + b, ab Rc
9. Let P r be the set of prime numbers. Prove that |P r| =