Set theory


Structure

Feature that is applied to a set

Space

Informally, a set endowned with a structure or multiple structures of 'geometric nature' which are the primary focus

Algebraic structure

Informally, a set endowned with a structure or multiple structures of 'algebraic nature' which are the primary focus

Mathematical object

Anything with formally defined properites

Set types

Interval

Subset of \(\mathbb{R}\) categorizing a continuous range of elements

Open interval

Interval excluding its endpoints

\( (a,b) = \{x \in \mathbb{R} : a \lt x \lt b \}\)

Closed interval

Interval including its endpoints

\( [a,b] = \{x \in \mathbb{R} : a \leq x \leq b \}\)

Left-open interval

Right-open interval

Set operators

Cardinality

Cardinality

Mappings

Predomain

Set \(X\) representing the space of the inputs of function \(f\)

Domain

Subset of \(X\) representing all elements that is a well-defined input for function \(f\)

\(\text{dom}(f) = \{ x \in X : f(x) \text{ is well defined } \}\)

Codomain

Set \(Y\) representing the space of the output of function \(f\)

Image of a function

Subset of \(Y\) representing all elements mapped to a domain element of function \(f\)

\( \text{im}(f) = f(\text{dom}(f)) \)

Image of a subset

Set of all elements in a function's image mapped to elements in \(U\)

\(f(U) = \{ f(u) : u \in U \}\)

Pre-image

Given some function \(f : X \to Y\), an image is a set resolving some or all (possible) codomain elements to domain elements

Subset definition

Set of all domain elements mapped to elements in \(V\)

\( f^{-1}(V) = \{ x : f(x) \in V \}\)

Function definition

Set of all domain elements mapped to elements in the codomain

\(f^{-1}(f(\text{dom}(f)) = \text{dom}(f) \)

Inverse image

Considering a function \(f : X \to Y\), the inverse image or pre image of some range subset \(V\) is the domain subset the function is mapped to

\( f^{-1}(V) = \{ x : f(x) \in V \}\)