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The algebra of sets is the set-theoretic analogue of the algebra of numbers. Just as arithmetic addition and multiplication are associative and commutative, so are set union and intersection; just as the arithmetic relation "less than or equal" is reflexive, antisymmetric and transitive, so is the set relation of "subset".
A set of polygons in an Euler diagram This set equals the one depicted above since both have the very same elements.. In mathematics, a set is a collection of different [1] things; [2] [3] [4] these things are called elements or members of the set and are typically mathematical objects of any kind: numbers, symbols, points in space, lines, other geometrical shapes, variables, or even other ...
In constructive mathematics, "not empty" and "inhabited" are not equivalent: every inhabited set is not empty but the converse is not always guaranteed; that is, in constructive mathematics, a set that is not empty (where by definition, "is empty" means that the statement () is true) might not have an inhabitant (which is an such that ).
In set theory, any two sets are defined to be equal if they have all the same members. This is called the Axiom of extensionality. Usually set theory is defined within logic, and therefore uses the equality described above, however, if a logic system does not have equality, it is possible to define equality within set theory.
In a very abstract setting, the principle of inclusion–exclusion can be expressed as the calculation of the inverse of a certain matrix. [5] This inverse has a special structure, making the principle an extremely valuable technique in combinatorics and related areas of mathematics. As Gian-Carlo Rota put it: [6]
In mathematics, an equivalence relation is a binary relation that is reflexive, symmetric and transitive. The equipollence relation between line segments in geometry is a common example of an equivalence relation. A simpler example is equality. Any number is equal to itself (reflexive).
The power set of the set of natural numbers can be put in a one-to-one correspondence with the set of real numbers (see Cardinality of the continuum). The power set of a set S, together with the operations of union, intersection and complement, is a Σ-algebra over S and can be viewed as the prototypical example of a Boolean algebra.
In set theory, the union (denoted by ∪) of a collection of sets is the set of all elements in the collection. [1] It is one of the fundamental operations through which sets can be combined and related to each other. A nullary union refers to a union of zero ( ) sets and it is by definition equal to the empty set.