Easy question regarding symbols in discrete mathematics

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SUMMARY

The discussion clarifies the notation used in discrete mathematics regarding symbols and strings. The set of symbols, referred to as the alphabet, is denoted by the symbol Σ. In contrast, Σ* represents the set of all finite strings that can be formed using the symbols from the alphabet Σ, including the empty string. The Kleene Star (*) indicates that the strings can consist of zero or more symbols from the alphabet.

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  • Understanding of discrete mathematics concepts
  • Familiarity with formal language theory
  • Knowledge of the Kleene Star operation
  • Basic comprehension of set notation
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shamieh
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is the set of symbols that make up strings denoted by the symbol Σ or Σ* , also what is this difference?
 
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Usually the set of symbols, or the alphabet, is denoted by $\Sigma$. Then $\Sigma^*$ denotes the set of all finite strings in the alphabet $\Sigma$.
 
The star (*) is the so called Kleene Star.
It means zero-or-more.

So indeed, Σ is the alphabet, while Σ* is the set of strings consisting of zero or more symbols from the alphabet.
 

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