What is the Identity for Unions and Intersections of Sets?

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SUMMARY

The identity for unions and intersections of sets is established as $(A\cup B)\cap (B\cup C)\cap (C\cup A) = (A\cap B)\cup (A\cap C)\cup (B\cap C)$. The proof involves demonstrating both subset relationships: first, showing that $(A\cup B)\cap (B\cup C)\cap (C\cup A)$ is a subset of $(A\cap B)\cup (A\cap C)\cup (B\cap C)$, and second, proving the reverse inclusion. The logical deductions confirm that if an element belongs to the union of the sets, it must also belong to at least one of the intersections.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of set theory concepts, including unions and intersections.
  • Familiarity with logical reasoning and implications in mathematics.
  • Basic knowledge of mathematical notation and symbols.
  • Ability to manipulate and simplify set expressions.
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the properties of set operations, focusing on distributive laws.
  • Explore Venn diagrams to visualize unions and intersections of multiple sets.
  • Learn about De Morgan's laws and their applications in set theory.
  • Investigate advanced topics in set theory, such as cardinality and power sets.
USEFUL FOR

Students of mathematics, educators teaching set theory, and anyone interested in formal logic and mathematical proofs will benefit from this discussion.

Dustinsfl
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$(A\cup B)\cap (B\cup C)\cap (C\cup A) = (A\cap B)\cup (A\cap C)\cup (B\cap C)$

For the identity, we will show $(A\cup B)\cap (B\cup C)\cap (C\cup A) \subseteq (A\cap B)\cup (A\cap C)\cup (B\cap C)$ and $(A\cup B)\cap (B\cup C)\cap (C\cup A) \supseteq (A\cap B)\cup (A\cap C)\cup (B\cap C)$.
Let $x\in (A\cup B)\cap (B\cup C)\cap (C\cup A)$.
Then $x\in A\cup B$ and $x\in B\cup C$ and $x\in C\cup A$.
So $x\in A$ or $x\in B$ and $x\in B$ or $x\in C$ and $x\in C$ or $x\in A$.

So I am stuck at this point.
 
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If ($x \in A$ or $x \in B$) and ($x \in B$ or $x \in C$) and ($x \in C$ or $x \in A$), then ($x \in A$ and $x \in B$) or ($x \in A$ and $x \in C$) or ($x \in B$ and $x \in C$). From there, $x \in (A \cap B) \cup (A \cap C) \cup (B \cap C)$.
 

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