6.

2
Methods of Expressing Sets
What are you going to
learn? You have learned that the set of football players can
À To mention various
be stated in the form of:
ways of expressing {Football players}
sets
À To change the set
In mathematics a set can be defined in several
expression from one
way to another
methods. For example, we have the set of prime
numbers less than 10. This set can be written as:
Key Words: {Prime numbers less than 10}.
• ways of expressing
sets The method above is called expressing sets by
• roster description.
• set builder notation If we have P = {Prime numbers less than 10}, then
we can write the elements of P, namely 2, 3, 5, 7.
If all members of P are written consecutively
enclosed by a pair of curly brackets, and each two
members are separated by comma (“,”), then we get:
P = {2, 3, 5, 7}

This method of expressing the set P by listing all of

its elements is called the roster method.

So:
P = the set of prime numbers less than 10
can be written as follows:
P = {2, 3, 5, 7}
Some examples of sets expressed by roster are:
1. K = {1, 3, 5, 7, 9}
2. L = {January, June, July}
3. M = {1, 2, 3, 4, . . . , 100}
4. N = {7, 14, 21, 28, . . .}

Mathematics for Junior High School Year 7 / 217

 Consider set P = {2, 3, 5, 7}. The elements of set P satisfy a certain
condition, that is each element of P is a prime number less than 10.
Therefore, set P can also be expressed as follows:
P = { x| x prime number less than 10 } or
P = { x| x < 10, x prime }
Remarks:
1. The element condition is written after the symbol “x|”
2. The expression reads “P is the set having elements of all x
such that x is prime numbers less than 10.”
The way above is called the set-builder notation.

Some other examples of expressing sets using set-builder

notation are:
a. K = { 0, 1, 2, 3, . . . , 10 } can be written as:
K = { n | n is whole number not greater than 10}
or
K = { n | n is whole number less than 11 }
or
K = { n | n < 10, n ∈ W }; W = the set of whole numbers or
K = { n | n < 11, n ∈ W }; W = the set of whole numbers
b. M = { 1, 2, 3, . . . , 99 } can be written as:
M = { a | a is natural number less than 100}
or
M = { a | a < 100, a ∈ A }; A = the set of natural numbers
c. N = { 7, 14, 21, 28, . . . } can be written as:
N = { m | is natural number multiple of 7 }

From the above explanation, you have learned how to express

sets in three methods. You remember those methods, don’t you?
Explain the three methods.

218 / Student’s Book - Sets

 Acquiring the Sets of Numbers

At the elementary school you already learned several types of

numbers. From certain types of numbers a set can be formed,
resulting in several kinds of sets of numbers, such as:

1. C = Set of whole numbers, or

Remarks C = { 0, 1, 2, 3, . . . }
2. A = Set of natural numbers, or
* The prime A = { 1, 2, 3, 4, . . . }
number is a 3. G = Set of even whole numbers, or
natural number
having exactly G = { 0, 2, 4, 6, . . . }
two factors, 4. J = Set of odd whole numbers, or
namely one
and the J = { 1, 3, 5, 7, . . . }
number itself. 5. K = Set of square numbers, or
∗ The composite K = { 1, 4, 9, 25, . . . }
number is a 6. T = Set of cubic numbers, or
natural number
having more T = { 1, 8, 27, 64, . . . }
than two 7. P = Set of prime numbers, or
factors.
P = { 2, 3, 5, 7, . . . }
8. K = Set of composite numbers, or
K = { 4, 6, 8, 9, . . . }

1. Express the following sets with set-builder

notation.
a. K = set of natural numbers between 2 and 7
b. L = { 10, 11, 12, 13, . . . }
c. M = { 2 }

Solution :
a. K = { x | 2 < x < 7, x is a natural number }
b. L = { n | n > 10 , n is a whole number }
c. M = { x | x is an even prime number }

Mathematics for Junior High School Year 7 / 219

 2. Express the following sets by listing their elements.
a. N = { x | x is prime number greater than 10}
b. O = set of square numbers greater than 15
c. P = { n | 1 < n < 5, n is a natural number}
Solution :
a. N = { 11, 13, 17, 19, . . . }
b. O = { 16, 25, 36, 49, . . . }
c. P = { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 }

220 / Student’s Book - Sets

1. Express the following sets by listing their elements.
a. A = set of even whole numbers between 20 and 30.
b. B = set of the first six natural numbers.
c. C = set of factors of 24.
d. D = set of the first five squared numbers.
e. E = set of the first seven even whole numbers.
f. F = set of multiple of 5 between 1 and 100.
g. G = set of letters forming the word “mathematics”.
h. H = set of multiple of 3 of natural numbers.
i. I = set of the first eight composite numbers.
j. J = set of prime numbers between 10 and 40.
2. Express the following sets by description.
a. A = { 6, 12, 18, 24, . . . }
b. B = { 23, 29, 31, 37 }
c. C = { 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 }
d. D = { 0, 2, 4, . . . 16 }
e. E = { 1, 4, 9, 16, 25 }
f. F = { 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18 }
g. G = { a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h }
h. H = { 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 }
i. I = { 5, 10, 15, 20, . . . }
j. J = { 1, 8, 27, 64, . . . }
3. Express the following sets with set-builder notations.
a. A = { 12, 13, 14, 15, . . . , 25 }
b. B = { 11, 13, 17, 19, . . . }
c. C = set of even whole numbers not greater than 50.
d. D = set of odd numbers between 10 and 20.
e. E = {4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 }
f. F = {a, i, u, e, o }
g. G = set of the first four odd whole numbers.
h. H = {0, 1, 4, 9, 16, 25 }
i. I = set of the first eight prime numbers.
j. J = set of multiple of 7 of natural numbers.

Mathematics for Junior High School Year 7 / 221

 4. Related to Real World
Express the following sets in the two other methods.
a. A = set of months not having 31 days.
b. B = set of vowels in the alphabet.
c. C = set of days having names starting with letter “t”.
d. D = { Monday, Tuesday , Saturday }
e. E = { January, February, May, June, July }
f. F = { red, yellow, green }
g. G = { red, white }
h. H = { red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, purple}
i. I = set of leap years between 1900 and 1925.
j. J = set of five human senses.

222 / Student’s Book - Sets