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3.3: Venn Diagrams

  • Page ID
    89960
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    Learning Objectives

    Students will be able to:

    • Use Venn Diagrams to illustrate operations with sets

    Definition: Venn Diagram

    A Venn diagram represents each set by a circle, usually drawn inside of a containing box representing the universal set. Overlapping areas indicate elements common to both sets.

    Basic Venn diagrams can illustrate the interaction of two or three sets.

    Example \(\PageIndex{1}\)

    Create Venn diagrams to illustrate \(A ⋃ B\), \(A ⋂ B\), and \(A^c ⋂ B\).

    Solution

    \(A ⋃ B\) contains all elements in either set.

    clipboard_e7be68ad5f36ec897f5ceac1f3a06b0ae.png

    \(A ⋂ B\) contains only those elements in both sets – in the overlap of the circles.

    clipboard_ed9bb4a924d483c13402669fce689e2af.png

    \(A^c\) will contain all elements not in the set \(A\). \(A^c ⋂ B\) will contain the elements in set \(B\) that are not in set \(A\).

    clipboard_e8c43331ff5894bd5f5448e0f1200c90a.png

    Example \(\PageIndex{2}\)

    Use a Venn diagram to illustrate \((H ⋂ F)^c ⋂ W\).

    Solution

    We’ll start by identifying everything in the set \(H ⋂ F\):

    clipboard_eac2c5071fa71842ae7bd3e822e4def6c.png

    Now, \((H ⋂ F)^c ⋂ W\) will contain everything not in the set identified above that is also in set \(W\).

    clipboard_efbd2328d716bf00d364250297d6c1650.png

    Example \(\PageIndex{3}\)

    Create an expression to represent the outlined part of the Venn diagram shown.

    clipboard_e803688da281482fcb7d711cc60dd2536.png

    Solution

    The elements in the outlined set are in sets \(H\) and \(F\), but are not in set \(W\). So, we could represent this set as \(H ⋂ F ⋂ W^c\).


    3.3: Venn Diagrams is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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