Discrete mathematics, bijections between disjoint unions

In summary, discrete mathematics deals with mathematical structures and objects that are countable or distinct, rather than continuous. Bijections between disjoint unions refer to a one-to-one correspondence between the elements of two separate sets, where the elements of each set are mutually exclusive. This concept is important in various areas of mathematics, including combinatorics and graph theory. It provides a way to analyze and understand complex structures by breaking them down into simpler components.
  • #1
infk
21
0
Hi,
So I am trying to show the following:
##(A \cup B)\sqcup(A \cap B) \leftrightarrow A \sqcup B##

The proof that I am trying to understand starts with:
##A \leftrightarrow (A \backslash B) \sqcup (A\cup B) \qquad (1)##,
and
##A \cup B \leftrightarrow (A\backslash B)\sqcup B \qquad (2)##

These two both make sense, in the first one we see that ##(A \backslash B) ## with ## (A\cup B)## is a partition of A, and thus there are bijections from ##(A \backslash B) ## to ## \{ (x,0) : x \in (A \backslash B) \}## and from ##A \cap B## to ##\{ (y,1) : y \in A \cap B \}##, and the same argument for ##(2)##

The next step in the proof says that:
##(A \cup B)\sqcup(A \cap B) \leftrightarrow (A\backslash B)\sqcup B \sqcup (A \cap B) ## which (apparently) follows from ##(2)##
and then, ##(1)## apparently means that
##(A\backslash B)\sqcup B \sqcup (A \cap B) \leftrightarrow A \sqcup B## which proves it.
But I don't understand how ##(1)## and ##(2)## helps us in these steps, can you just exchange terms like that? Anyone care to explain? Thanks..
 
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  • #2
infk said:
Hi,
So I am trying to show the following:
##(A \cup B)\sqcup(A \cap B) \leftrightarrow A \sqcup B##

The proof that I am trying to understand starts with:
##A \leftrightarrow (A \backslash B) \sqcup (A\cup B) \qquad (1)##,
and
##A \cup B \leftrightarrow (A\backslash B)\sqcup B \qquad (2)##

These two both make sense, in the first one we see that ##(A \backslash B) ## with ## (A\cup B)## is a partition of A, and thus there are bijections from ##(A \backslash B) ## to ## \{ (x,0) : x \in (A \backslash B) \}## and from ##A \cap B## to ##\{ (y,1) : y \in A \cap B \}##, and the same argument for ##(2)##

The next step in the proof says that:
##(A \cup B)\sqcup(A \cap B) \leftrightarrow (A\backslash B)\sqcup B \sqcup (A \cap B) ## which (apparently) follows from ##(2)##
and then, ##(1)## apparently means that
##(A\backslash B)\sqcup B \sqcup (A \cap B) \leftrightarrow A \sqcup B## which proves it.
But I don't understand how ##(1)## and ##(2)## helps us in these steps, can you just exchange terms like that? Anyone care to explain? Thanks..

What the"##\sqcup##" stand for??
 
  • #3
stauros said:
What the"##\sqcup##" stand for??

##A \sqcup B## is the disjoint union of ##A## and ##B##, defined by:
##A \sqcup B = \{(x,0):x \in A \} \cup \{(y,1):y \in B \}##
 
  • #4
And ##\leftrightarrow## ? Does that simlpy mean equality (=) here?
 
  • #5
Erland said:
And ##\leftrightarrow## ? Does that simlpy mean equality (=) here?
I thought this was standard notation in (discrete) mathematics, but anyway,
##A \leftrightarrow B## means that there exists a bijection between ##A## and ##B##.
 
  • #6
So there is not a single person on the board who knows about this? It is from a first course in discrete mathematics for 2nd year students.
 
  • #7
infk said:
##A \sqcup B## is the disjoint union of ##A## and ##B##, defined by:
##A \sqcup B = \{(x,0):x \in A \} \cup \{(y,1):y \in B \}##

I can't get your example to work when using this definition. I don't get it at all.
 
  • #8

1. What is discrete mathematics?

Discrete mathematics is a branch of mathematics that deals with discrete, countable structures. It involves the study of objects that can only take on distinct, separated values, such as integers or graphs.

2. What does it mean for sets to be disjoint?

Two sets are disjoint if they have no elements in common. In other words, the intersection of two disjoint sets is the empty set.

3. What is a bijection?

A bijection is a function between two sets that is both one-to-one and onto. This means that each element in the domain is paired with a unique element in the range, and every element in the range has a corresponding element in the domain.

4. How do you determine if two sets have a bijection between them?

To determine if two sets have a bijection between them, you can try to find a function that satisfies the definition of a bijection. Alternatively, you can try to prove that there is no bijection between the two sets by showing that one or both of the sets violate the properties of a bijection.

5. How do bijections relate to disjoint unions in discrete mathematics?

In discrete mathematics, bijections can be used to show that two disjoint unions are equivalent, meaning they have the same number of elements. This is because a bijection between two sets ensures that each element in one set has a unique corresponding element in the other set, so the two sets must have the same number of elements.

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