What will you learn in An Introduction to Basic Set Theory Course
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Grasp foundational concepts: sets, subsets, power sets, and Cartesian products
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Understand operations on sets: union, intersection, difference, and complement
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Work with relations and functions: equivalence relations, injections, surjections, and bijections
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Apply proofs techniques: induction, contradiction, and combinatorial arguments
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Explore advanced topics: De Morgan’s laws, Venn diagrams, and the basics of cardinality
Program Overview
Module 1: Fundamentals of Sets
⏳ 1 week
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Topics: Definitions, notation, roster vs. set‐builder forms
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Hands-on: Create and classify sets; construct power sets for small finite examples
Module 2: Set Operations & Laws
⏳ 1 week
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Topics: Union, intersection, difference, complement; associative, commutative, and distributive laws
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Hands-on: Prove De Morgan’s laws and simplify set expressions with Venn diagrams
Module 3: Cartesian Products & Tuples
⏳ 1 week
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Topics: Ordered pairs, n-tuples, product sets, and their sizes
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Hands-on: Enumerate Cartesian products for given finite sets and count elements
Module 4: Relations on Sets
⏳ 1 week
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Topics: Definitions of relations, domains, ranges, properties (reflexive, symmetric, transitive)
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Hands-on: Determine whether sample relations are equivalence relations and partition sets accordingly
Module 5: Functions Between Sets
⏳ 1 week
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Topics: Functions, injections, surjections, bijections, inverse functions, composition
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Hands-on: Classify given mappings as injective/surjective/bijective and construct inverses
Module 6: Introduction to Proofs
⏳ 1 week
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Topics: Direct proof, proof by contradiction, proof by induction in the context of sets
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Hands-on: Prove basic set identities and use induction to establish formulas for cardinalities
Module 7: Cardinality & Infinite Sets
⏳ 1 week
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Topics: Finite vs. infinite sets, countability, Cantor’s theorem on power sets
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Hands-on: Show that the power set of ℕ has strictly greater cardinality than ℕ itself
Module 8: Applications & Advanced Patterns
⏳ 1 week
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Topics: Inclusion–exclusion principle, Venn‐diagram problem solving, beginnings of combinatorial set theory
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Hands-on: Solve counting problems using inclusion–exclusion and construct Venn diagrams for three sets
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Job Outlook
- Set theory underpins computer science (data structures, databases), discrete mathematics, and formal logic
- Roles benefiting: Software Engineer, Data Scientist, Algorithm Designer, Research Analyst
- Salaries range broadly ($70,000–$140,000+) depending on specialization and industry
- A strong mathematical foundation opens doors to advanced studies in algorithms, cryptography, and AI
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