Math Problem Statement
Suppose a family contains two children of different ages, and we are interested in the gender of these children. Let F denote that a child is female and M that the child is male and let a pair such as F M denote that the older child is female and the younger is male. There are four points in the set S of possible observations: S = {F F, F M, M F, M M}. Let A denote the subset of possibilities containing no males; B, the subset containing two males; and C, the subset containing at least one male. List the elements of A, B,C, A ∩ B, A ∪ B, A ∩ C, A ∪ C, B ∩ C, B ∪ C, and C ∩ B
Solution
Let's define the sets based on the problem:
- is the set of all possible gender combinations of two children.
- is the subset containing no males.
- is the subset containing two males.
- is the subset containing at least one male.
Now, let's determine each of the subsets:
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Set (No males):
- This set contains only the pair where both children are female.
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Set (Two males):
- This set contains only the pair where both children are male.
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Set (At least one male):
- This set contains all pairs where at least one child is male.
Next, let's determine the intersections and unions of these sets:
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Intersection :
- No elements are common between and , so the intersection is the empty set.
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Union :
- The union contains the elements from both sets and .
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Intersection :
- (no males) has no common elements with (at least one male), so the intersection is the empty set.
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Union :
- The union covers all possible cases, so it equals the universal set .
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Intersection :
- The only common element between (two males) and (at least one male) is .
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Union :
- The union contains all pairs where at least one male is present, which is the same as .
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Intersection :
- As noted earlier, this is just the pair.
Summary of the Sets:
Relative Questions
- What is the principle behind set operations like union and intersection in probability?
- How do complement sets affect the calculations in problems involving multiple groups?
- Why is it important to consider all possible outcomes in a set-theory problem?
- How can set theory be applied to more complex scenarios with more than two groups?
- What is the significance of the empty set in problems involving intersections?
Tip:
When working with sets, drawing a Venn diagram can greatly help in visualizing the relationships and intersections between different sets.
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Math Problem Analysis
Mathematical Concepts
Set Theory
Intersection
Union
Complement Sets
Formulas
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Theorems
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Suitable Grade Level
Grades 7-9