IIUM, Faculty of Engineering, Department Engineering in Science

Engineering Mathematics I, MATH 1310, Semester 2, 2015/2016, Chapter I: Sets and Numbers

Chapter I: REAL NUMBERS AND INEQUALITIES

1.1 Introduction
1.2 Sets of integer, rational, irrational and real numbers. Intervals of real numbers:
open, close, semi open – close.
1.3 Absolute value of the real number. Solutions of the inequalities using interval
methods.
1.4 Functions of real variables. Elementary functions of engineering mathematics
real variable.

 Introduction:
Set theory is a basis of modern mathematics, and notions of set theory are used in all formal
descriptions. The notion of set is taken as “undefined”, “primitive”, or “basic”, so we don’t try to
define what a set is, but we can give an informal description, describe important properties of sets, and
give examples. All other notions of mathematics can be built up based on the notion of set.

 Sets of integer, rational, irrational and real numbers. Intervals of real numbers: open, close,
semi open – close

The question:
What is a set?
Answer:
Well, simply put, it's a collection.

Description of set:
A set is a collection of objects which are called the members or elements of that set. If we
have a set we say that some objects belong (or do not belong) to this set, are (or are not) in
the set. We say also that sets consist of their elements.

For Examples:
The set of students in this room; the English alphabet may be viewed as the set of
letters of the English language; the set of natural numbers etc.

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Lecturer Abdurahim Okhunov abdurahimokhun@iium.edu.my
IIUM, Faculty of Engineering, Department Engineering in Science
Engineering Mathematics I, MATH 1310, Semester 2, 2015/2016, Chapter I: Sets and Numbers

 Notation
There is a fairly simple notation for sets. We simply list each element (or "member") separated
by a comma, and then put some curly brackets around the whole thing:

 
 1 , 3 , 7 , 88 , 
element element element element 
The curly brackets { } are sometimes called "set brackets" or "braces".

Notice how the first example has the " " (three dots together).
The three dots " " are called an ellipsis, and mean "continue on".

So that means the first example continues on " " for infinity.
So:
 The first set {socks, shoes, watches, shirts, ...} we call an infinite set,
 The second set {index, middle, ring, pinky} we call a finite set.
But sometimes the " " can be used in the middle to save writing long lists:
Example: the set of letters:

a, b, c, d , x, y, z
In this case it is a finite set (there are only 26 letters)

 Numerical Sets
So what does this have to do with mathematics? When we define a set, all we have to specify is a
common characteristic. Who says we can't do so with numbers?

 Set of even numbers:   4,  2, 0, 2, 4, 

 Set of odd numbers:   3,  1, 1, 3, 
 Set of prime numbers: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 15, 
 Positive multiples of 3 that are less than 10:  3, 6, 9  .

Sections 7 & 8 Venue: E1 – 3 – 9 2

Lecturer Abdurahim Okhunov abdurahimokhun@iium.edu.my
IIUM, Faculty of Engineering, Department Engineering in Science
Engineering Mathematics I, MATH 1310, Semester 2, 2015/2016, Chapter I: Sets and Numbers

 Why is Sets Important?

Sets are the fundamental property of mathematics. Now as a word of warning, sets, by
themselves, seem pretty pointless. But it's only when we apply sets in different situations do they
become the powerful building block of mathematics that they are.

 Universal Set
At the start we used the word "things" in quotes. We call this the universal set. It's a set that
contains everything. Well, not exactly everything. Everything that is relevant to our question.

Sets
Notation
Example
Symbol Meaning

 is a Set
1, 3, 6, 9 
 is an Element of 3 1, 3, 6, 9 

 is not an Element of 3 1, 6, 9 

Union of set
1, 3, 5  2, 4, 5, 9   1, 2, 3, 4, 5,9 
Intersection of set
1, 3, 5  2, 4, 5    5 
 is a proper Subset of
1, 3, 5   1, 3, 4, 5, 9 
 is not a Subset of set
10, 30, 50   1, 3, 4, 5, 9 
 is Superset of set
1, 3, 4, 5, 9   1, 3, 5 
 the Empty set
 3, 6, 9   2, 1, 7   

Sections 7 & 8 Venue: E1 – 3 – 9 3

Lecturer Abdurahim Okhunov abdurahimokhun@iium.edu.my
IIUM, Faculty of Engineering, Department Engineering in Science
Engineering Mathematics I, MATH 1310, Semester 2, 2015/2016, Chapter I: Sets and Numbers

Set of numbers
Symbol meaning

N Set of Natural numbers

Q Set of Rational numbers

R Set of Real numbers

P Set of Prime numbers

Z Set of Integer numbers

E Set of Even Integer numbers

O Set of Odd Integer numbers

The symbol for showing that one set is a member of another set is  , so that:
P  N  Z Q .
The symbol for showing that one set is equivalent of another set is , so that:

Q ~ Z ~ N ~ P ~ E ~O .
Curly brackets   are used to show a collection of elements in set:
A   3, 6, 9 .
The number of elements in a set is shown as or #:

If A   3, 6, 9 , then A  3 or # A  3 .
The cardinality of infinite sets is denoted by  :

N 0 , R  20 .

Sections 7 & 8 Venue: E1 – 3 – 9 4

Lecturer Abdurahim Okhunov abdurahimokhun@iium.edu.my
IIUM, Faculty of Engineering, Department Engineering in Science
Engineering Mathematics I, MATH 1310, Semester 2, 2015/2016, Chapter I: Sets and Numbers

 Number Systems:

Natural Numbers N  1, 2, 3, 

Integer Numbers Z   ,  3,  2,  1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 
p
Rational Numbers Q: Q  p, q  Z , q0 
q
Irrational Numbers I  2  1.414213,   1800 , 3 7 , 
 2 
Real Numbers R  3, , 0, 1, 2 , 3 , e 
 3 
Set of Whole Number W  0,1, 2, 3,  .

-9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Figure 1

Set of Real Numbers: or “all numbers” R QI

Set of Irrational numbers whose elements are numbers with decimal representations that are not
p
terminating and not repeating, and cannot be written as , p, q  Z , q  0 .
q
n
 1
lim 1    e , e  2.72..., e x  exp x, e0  1
x 
 n

R
Q

Z
I
N

Figure 1*

Example:
1 1 4
 0.5000 ,  0.333 ,  0.57142 , 2  1.4142 ,   3.14159 .
2 3 7

Sections 7 & 8 Venue: E1 – 3 – 9 5

Lecturer Abdurahim Okhunov abdurahimokhun@iium.edu.my
IIUM, Faculty of Engineering, Department Engineering in Science
Engineering Mathematics I, MATH 1310, Semester 2, 2015/2016, Chapter I: Sets and Numbers

 Numbers system and Inequalities

If a, b and x are points on the real line such that ax and x  b , then a is to the left

of x and b is to the right of x . If a  x  b , then we say that x is between a and b.

Representation of Intervals on the Number Line

Interval notation Inequality notation Linear graph Type

 a, b   x  R a  x  b [ ] x Closed
a b

 a, b   x  R a  x  b ( ) x Open
a b

 a, b 
  x  R a  x  b [ ) x Half-open
a b
 a, b x  R a  x  b ( ] x Half-open
a b
Infinity
 a,   x : x  a [
a
x Closed

 a,   x : x  a (
a
x Open

 , b x : x  b
b
] x Closed

 , b  x : x  b
b
) x Open

 ,    R x Open
0

 Linear Inequalities
Theorem 1 (Properties of Linear Inequalities):
Let a, b, c  R , then
i. If a  b and b  c , then a  c,
ii. If a  b , then a  c  b  c ,
iii. If a  b and c  0 , then ac  bc .
iv. If a  b and c  0 , then ac  bc .

Sections 7 & 8 Venue: E1 – 3 – 9 6

Lecturer Abdurahim Okhunov abdurahimokhun@iium.edu.my
IIUM, Faculty of Engineering, Department Engineering in Science
Engineering Mathematics I, MATH 1310, Semester 2, 2015/2016, Chapter I: Sets and Numbers

Proof:
ii. If a  b , then there exists a positive number s such that a  s  b . By Substitution law,

asc bc or a  c  s  b  c  ac bc.

Example: Solve 6  5z  7  3z .

Solution:
6  5z   6   7  3z   6  Theorem 1(ii)

 6   6  5z   7   6  3z Comm + Associative

0  5 z  1  3z Additive Inverse
5 z   3z   1  3z   3z  Add. identity+ Theorem 1(ii)
1
8z  1  z  . Add + Multi Inverse
8

Sections 7 & 8 Venue: E1 – 3 – 9 7

Lecturer Abdurahim Okhunov abdurahimokhun@iium.edu.my