Table of Content

Set Difference/ Relative Complement:

The set difference of sets A and B (denoted by A–B) is the set of elements which are only in A but not in B. Hence, A−B={x|x∈A AND x∉B}

Example:
1. If A={10,11,12,13} and B={13,14,15}, then (A−B)={10,11,12} and (B−A)={14,15}. Here, we can see (A−B)≠(B−A)

2. The difference of {1,3,5} and {1,2,3} is the set {5}; that is, {1,3,5}−{1,2,3}={5}. This is different from the difference of {1,2,3} and {1,3,5}, which is the set {2}.

3. The difference of the set of computer science majors at your school and the set of mathematics majors at your school is the set of all computer science majors at your school who are not also mathematics majors.


The shaded area inside the circle that represents A and outside the circle that represents B is the area that represents A − B.

Complement of a Set:

The complement of a set A (denoted by A′) is the set of elements which are not in set A. Hence, A′ ={x|x∉A}. More specifically, A′ =(U−A) where U is a universal set which contains all objects.

Example:
1. If A={x|x belongs to set of odd integers} then A′={y|y does not belong to set of odd integers}

2. Let A={a,e,i,o,u}(where the universal set is the set of letters of the English alphabet).
Then A={b,c,d,f,g,h,j,k,l,m,n,p,q,r,s,t,v,w,x,y,z}.

This video will explain the concepts of union, intersection and complement