Chapter 7 – Sets, Relations, Functions

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 Unit 1 – Sets
Sets
A set is a collection of well-defined distinct objects. Every object of a set is called its “element”.
A set is usually denoted by a capital letter and its elements are denoted by small letters.

For example, A = a, e, i, o, u is a set of vowels. As can be noted, the name of the set “A” is
written in capital, while the elements inside the set, “ a ”, “ e ”, “ i ”, “ o ”, and “ u ” are written
in small. Since “ a ” is an element of the set “ A ”, it is written as a  A , and is read as “ a
belongs to A ”, or “ a is a member of A ”. Also, since “ b ” is not an element of the set “ A ”, it
is written as b  A, and is read as “ b does not belong to A ”.

Description of a Set
A set is generally described in either of the following two forms:
1. Roster Form or Braces Form
2. Set-Builder Form or Algebraic Form or Rule Method or Property Method

Roster Form or Braces Form

In this form, a list of the elements of a set is made, and then this list is put inside curly braces
{}. For example, A = a, e, i, o, u . This is a set represented in Roster or Braces form.

Following are some other examples:

1. B = 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 is a set of all even numbers from 2 to 10, both inclusive.
2. C =  pqr , prq, qrp, rqp, qpr , rpq is a set of all possible arrangements of the
alphabets p , q , and r .
3. D = 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 is a set of all odd numbers before 10.
4. E = 1, 2 is a set of roots of the equation x2 − 3x + 2 = 0 .

Notes –
1. The order in which the elements are written in a set makes no difference. Therefore, {a,
e, i, o, u} and {e, a, i, o, u} denote the same set.
2. The repetition of an element has no effect. Therefore, {1, 2, 3, 2} is the same set as {1,
2, 3}.
Exercise 7A – Question 13

1 − ( −1)  for all integral x is the set:

x

(a) {0} (b) {2} (c) {0, 2} (d) None

Solution (c)

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Set-Builder Form or Algebraic Form or Rule Method or Property
Method
In this form, the set of all even numbers from 2 to 10, both inclusive, is written as:
B = {x : x = 2m and m being an integer lying in the interval 0 < m < 6}
It is read as “B is a set of x, such that, x = 2m and m being an integer lying in the interval 0 < m
< 6”. The colon “:” is read as “such that”. Instead of the colon, sometimes “|” is also used.
Therefore, the set can also be written as:
B = {x | x = 2m and m being an integer lying in the interval 0 < m < 6}
It is read exactly as we discussed above. Here, “|” is read as “such that”.

Exercise 7A – Question 5

The set  x | 0  x  5 represents the set when x takes integral values only.

(a) {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5} (b) {1, 2, 3, 4}

(c) {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} (d) None

Solution (b)

Exercise 7A – Question 6
The set {0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10} can be written as:

(a) 2 x | 0  x  5 (b)  x : 0  x  5
(c) 2 x : 0  x  5 (d) None

Solution (c)

Types of Sets
Following are the different types of sets:
1. Empty Set or Null Set or Void Set
2. Singleton Set
3. Finite Set
4. Infinite Set
5. Equal Sets
6. Equivalent Sets

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Empty Set or Null Set or Void Set
A set which doesn’t have any element is known as an Empty Set, or a Null Set, or a Void Set.
It is denoted by the Greek letter ϕ. This letter is pronounced as phi. In Roster Form, ϕ is
represented as {}.
A set which has at least one element is called a Non-Empty set. Therefore, the set A = {0} is a
Non-Empty set as it contains one element, i.e. 0.
Note – “ϕ”, “{0}”, and “0” are all different –
• ϕ is a set with no element at all;
• {0} is a set with the element “0”; and,
• 0 is just a number.

Exercise 7A – Question 3
The null set is represented by:

(a)  (b) 0 (c)  (d) None

Solution (c)

Singleton Set
A set which contains only one element is called a Singleton Set. For example, A = {5} is a
singleton set whose only member/element is the number “5”.

Finite Set
A set is said to be a Finite Set if its elements can be counted. For example,

1. The set of vowels  A = a, e, i, o, u is a finite set as it has countable number of
elements, i.e., 5.
2. The set of all odd numbers from 0 to 12  B = 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 is a finite set as it has
countable number of elements, i.e., 6.

Cardinal Number of a Finite Set

Cardinal Number of a Finite Set refers to the number of distinct elements of a finite set. For
example,

1. Consider the set of all the vowels: A = a, e, i, o, u . The cardinal number of this set is
5, as it has 5 elements. It is represented as n ( A ) = 5 .
2. Consider the set of all odd numbers from 0 to 12: B = 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 . The cardinal
number of this set is 6, as it has 6 elements. It is represented as n ( B ) = 6 .

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 3. Consider the set of letters of the word “ALLOY”: C =  A, L, L, O, Y  . Even though
the letter “L” is present twice, it’ll be counted only once, and therefore, the cardinal
number of this set is 4. It is represented as n ( C ) = 4 .

Exercise 7A – Question 20

If A = 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 , and B =  x 2 : x  A , then:

(a) n ( B ) = n ( A ) (b) n ( B )  n ( A )
(c) n ( A ) = n ( B ) (d) n ( A )  n ( B )

Solution (c)

Infinite Set
Obviously, a set whose elements can’t be counted is called an Infinite Set. For example, the set
of natural numbers {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, …} is an infinite set.
Exercise 7A – Question 11
The set of cubes of the natural number is:
(a) a finite set (b) an infinite set (c) a null set (d) None

Solution (b)

Exercise 7A – Question 12
The set {2x | x is any positive rational number} is:
(a) an infinite set (b) a null set (c) a finite set (d) None

Solution (a)

Exercise 7A – Question 19
{n(n + 1)/2 : n is a positive integer} is:
(a) a finite set (b) an infinite set (c) an empty set (d) None

Solution (b)

Equal Sets
No rocket science here, if two sets have exactly the same elements, they are said to be Equal
Sets. For example, the sets A = {1, 2, 3, 4} and B = {1, 2, 3, 4} are equal sets.

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Exercise 7A – Question 16
If N is the set of natural numbers and I is the set of positive integers, then:
(a) N = I (b) N  I (c) N  I (d) None

Solution (a)

Exercise 7C – Question 12

The sets V =  x | x + 2 = 0 , R =  x | x 2 + 2 x = 0 , and S =  x : x 2 + x − 2 = 0 are equal to one

another if x is equal to:
(a) –2 (b) 2 (c) ½ (d) None

Solution (a)

Equivalent Sets
Two sets A, and B are said to be Equivalent if their Cardinal Numbers are equal, i.e., n(A) =
n(B). For example, the sets A = {1, 2, 3, 4} and B = {5, 6, 7, 8} are equivalent sets as n(A) =
n(B) = 4.
Clearly, all equal sets are equivalent but all equivalent sets are not equal.

Subsets
Let A and B be two sets. If every element of A is an element of B, then A is called a subset of
B. For example, if A = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} and B = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9}, then every element of A
is an element of B, and hence A is said to be a subset of B. It is written as A  B. Obviously,
every set is a subset of itself and an empty set is a subset of every set. A subset A of a set B is
called a proper subset if A ≠ B. If A is a proper subset of B, it is written as A  B.
If A is a subset of B, it means that B is the superset of A and it is written as B  A. If A is not a
subset of B, it is written as A  B.
Symbols at a Glance
Description Symbol Meaning
 Subset If A is a subset of B, it means that the set A contains either
some, or all elements of the set B.
 Proper If A is a subset of B, and A ≠ B, A is said to be a proper subset
Subset of B.
 Superset If A is a subset of B, it means that B is a superset of A.
 Not a If A is not a subset of B, it is written as A  B.
Subset

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Exercise 7A – Question 31
If E = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9}, the subset of E satisfying 5 + x > 10 is:
(a) {5, 6, 7, 8, 9} (b) {6, 7, 8, 9} (c) {7, 8, 9} (d) None

Solution (b)

Exercise 7A – Question 15
If R is the set of positive rational number and E is the set of real numbers then:
(a) R  E (b) R  E (c) E  R (d) None

Solution (b)

Exercise 7A – Question 17
If I is the set of isosceles triangles and E is the set of equilateral triangles, then:
(a) I  E (b) E  I (c) E = I (d) None

Solution (b)

Exercise 7A – Question 18
If R is the set of isosceles right-angled triangles and I is set of isosceles triangles, then:
(a) R = I (b) R  I (c) R  I (d) None

Solution (c)

No. of Subsets of a Given Set

Consider a set A = {1, 2, 3}. Following are its subsets: {1, 2, 3}, {1}, {2}, {3}, {1, 2}, {1, 3},
{2, 3}, {}. A set with n elements has 2n subsets. Therefore, the set A, which has 3 elements has
23 = 8 subsets.

The number of proper subsets of a set containing n elements is 2n − 1 . This is because 2 n also
consists of the set itself, which is an improper subset. Therefore, 1 is removed in order to get
the number of proper subsets.

Exercise 7A – Question 2
The number of subsets of a set containing n elements is:

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 (a) 2n (b) 2–n (c) n (d) None

Solution (a)

Exercise 7A – Question 1
The number of subsets of the set {2, 3, 5} is:
(a) 3 (b) 8 (c) 6 (d) None

Solution (b)

Exercise 7C – Question 11
The number of subsets of the set {6, 8, 11} is:
(a) 9 (b) 6 (c) 8 (d) None

Solution (c)

Power Set
Consider a set A = {1, 2, 3}. Following are its subsets: {1, 2, 3}, {1}, {2}, {3}, {1, 2}, {1, 3},
{2, 3}, {}. A set containing all the subsets of set A is called the Power Set. Therefore,
P ( A ) = 1, 2, 3 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 1, 2 , 1, 3 , 2, 3 , {} .

Exercise 7C – Question 20

Let A = a, b . Set of subsets of A is called power set of A denoted by P ( A ) . Now, n ( P ( A ) )

is:
(a) 2 (b) 4 (c) 3 (d) None

Solution (b)

Points to Remember
1. Every set is a subset of itself.
2. The empty set is a subset of every set.
3. Total number of subsets of a finite set containing n elements is 2n.
4. The set containing all the subsets of a particular set is called the power set.

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Operations on Sets

Universal Set
In any discussion, there’s always a set which contains the elements of all the sets under
consideration. This set is known as the Universal Set. It is denoted by U or S.
For example, let there be the following sets: A = {1, 2, 3}, B = {2, 4, 5, 6}, and C = {1, 3, 5, 7}.
The universal set will be U = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7}.

Union of Sets
If A and B are two sets, the union of these two sets will be a set containing the elements of both
A as well as B. It is written as A  B.
For example, if A = {1, 2, 3, 6}, and B = {2, 3, 4, 5}, then A  B = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}.

Exercise 7A – Question 8
If Universal Set S = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15}, P = {1, 2, 3, 5, 7},
Q = {1, 3, 6, 10, 15}, then cardinal number of P  Q is:
(a) 10 (b) 9 (c) 8 (d) None

Solution (c)

Exercise 7A – Question 14
If E is a set of positive even numbers and O is a set of positive odd numbers, then E  O is a:
(a) set of whole numbers (b) N
(c) set of rational numbers (d) None

Solution (b)

Exercise 7A – Question 21
A  A is equal to:
(a) A (b) E (c)  (d) None

Solution (a)

Exercise 7A – Question 25
A  E is equal to (E is a superset of A):

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 (a) A (b) E (c)  (d) None

Solution (b)

Exercise 7A – Question 27
E  E is equal to (E is a superset of A):
(a) E (b)  (c) 2E (d) None

Solution (a)

Intersection of Sets
If A and B are two sets, the intersection of these two sets will be a set containing the elements
which are present in both the sets. It is written as A  B.
For example, if A = {1, 2, 3, 6}, and B = {2, 3, 4, 5}, then A  B = {2, 3}.

Exercise 7A – Question 4
If A = {2, 3, 5, 7}, B = {4, 6, 8, 10}, then A  B can be written as:
(a) {} (b) {} (c) (A  B)’ (d) None

Solution (a)

Exercise 7A – Question 7
If Universal Set S = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15}, P = {1, 2, 3, 5, 7}, Q = {1,
3, 6, 10, 15}, then cardinal number of P  Q is:
(a) 3 (b) 2 (c) 0 (d) None

Solution (b)

Exercise 7A – Question 22
A  A is equal to:
(a)  (b) A (c) E (d) None

Solution (b)

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Exercise 7A – Question 26
A  E is equal to (E is a superset of A):
(a) A (b) E (c)  (d) None

Solution (a)

Exercise 7A – Question 29
A   is equal to (E is a superset of A):
(a) A (b) E (c)  (d) None

Solution (c)

Difference of Sets
If A and B are two sets, A – B will be a set containing the elements of the set A which do not
belong to B.
For example, if A = {2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7}, and B = {3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13}, then A – B = {2, 4, 6}; and B
– A = {9, 11, 13}.

Exercise 7C – Question 17
If A = {1, 2, 3, 5, 7} and B = {1, 3, 6, 10, 15}. Cardinal number of A – B is:
(a) 3 (b) 4 (c) 6 (d) None

Solution (a)

Exercise 7A – Question 32

If AB = ( A − B )  ( B − A ) , and A = {1, 2, 3, 4}, B = {3, 5, 7} then AB is:

(a) {1, 2, 4, 5, 7} (b) {3} (c) {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7} (d) None

Solution (a)

Compliment of a Set
Let U be a universal set and A be another set. Obviously, A will be a subset of U. The
compliment of A is written as A′ or Ac and is determined by U – A.
For example, if U = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10}, A = {1, 3, 5, 7}, and B = {2, 4, 6}; then, A′ =
U – A = {2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10}; and B′ = U – B = {1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10}.

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Exercise 7A – Question 9
If Universal Set S = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15}, P = {1, 2, 3, 5, 7}, Q = {1,
3, 6, 10, 15}, then n ( P ') is:

(a) 10 (b) 5 (c) 6 (d) None

Solution(a)

Exercise 7A – Question 10
If Universal Set S = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15}, P = {1, 2, 3, 5, 7}, Q = {1,
3, 6, 10, 15}, then n ( Q ') is:

(a) 4 (b) 10 (c) 4 (d) None

Solution (b)

Exercise 7A – Question 28
A  E ' is equal to (E is a superset of A)

(a) E (b)  (c) A (d) None

Solution (b)

Exercise 7A – Question 30
A  A ' is equal to (E is a superset of A)

(a) E (b)  (c) A (d) None

Solution (a)

De-Morgan’s Law
1. (A  B)′ = A′  B′
2. (A  B)′ = A′  B′
Exercise 7A – Question 23
(A  B)′ is equal to:

(a) ( A  B ) ' (b) A  B ' (c) A '  B ' (d) None

Solution (c)

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Exercise 7A – Question 24
(A  B)′ is equal to:

(a) ( A '  B ) ' (b) A '  B ' (c) A '  B ' (d) None

Solution (b)

Exercise 7C – Question 13
If the universal set E = {x | x is a positive integer < 25}, A = {2, 6, 8, 14, 22}, B = {4, 8, 10,
14}, then

(a) ( A  B ) ' = A '  B ' (b) ( A  B ) ' = A '  B '

(c) ( A '  B ) ' =  (d) None

Solution (a)

Word Problems on Sets

Some Important Results on Number of Elements in Sets

If the question involves two sets A, and B, and the requirement is to find either the union, or the
intersection of those two sets, use the following:

1. n ( A  B ) = n ( A ) + n ( B ) − n ( A  B )
2. n ( A  B ) = n ( A ) + n ( B ) − n ( A  B )

Exercise 7C – Question 9
If A has 32 elements, B has 42 elements and A  B has 62 elements, the number of elements in
A  B is:
(a) 12 (b) 74 (c) 10 (d) None

Solution (a)

Page 7.17 – Problem 2

A survey shows that 74% of the Indians like grapes, whereas 68% like bananas. What
percentage of the Indians like both grapes and bananas?
(a) 36% (b) 42% (c) 55% (d) None

Solution (b)

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Page 7.17 – Problem 3 (iii)
In a class of 60 students, 40 students like Maths, 36 like Science, and 24 like both the subjects.
Find the number of students who like either Maths or Science.
(a) 36 (b) 42 (c) 52 (d) None

Solution (c)

Page 7.17 – Problem 3 (iv)

In a class of 60 students, 40 students like Maths, 36 like Science, and 24 like both the subjects.
Find the number of students who like neither Maths nor Science.
(a) 8 (b) 60 (c) 52 (d) None

Solution (a)

Exercise 7C – Question 16
A town has a total population of 50,000. Out of it, 28,000 read the newspaper X and 23,000
read Y while 4,000 read both the papers. The number of persons not reading X and Y both is:
(a) 2,000 (b) 3,000 (c) 2,500 (d) None

Solution (b)

Exercise 7C – Question 19
At a certain conference of 100 people there are 29 Indian women and 23 Indian men. Out of
these Indian people 4 are doctors and 24 are either men or doctors. There are no foreign doctors.
The number of women doctors attending the conference is:
(a) 2 (b) 4 (c) 1 (d) None

Solution (c)

Venn Diagrams
Venn Diagrams are used to solve word problems which involve:
1. Two sets, but the requirement is neither of the union of those sets, nor of the intersection
of those sets; or
2. Three sets.

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What are Venn Diagrams?
The sets and their operations can be represented pictorially through what are called Venn
Diagrams. In Venn Diagrams, a rectangle represents the universal set and all the individual sets
are represented by circles. Following is the representation of a universal set and a set A.

Union of Sets
The shaded portion in the following figure represents union of sets:

Intersection of Sets
The shaded portion in the following figure represents intersection of sets:

Disjoint Sets
Following figure represents disjoint sets:

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Difference of Sets
The shaded portion in the following figure represents A – B:

The shaded portion in the following figure represents B – A:

Compliment of a Set
The shaded portion in the following figure represents A′:

Page 7.17 – Problem 3 (i)

In a class of 60 students, 40 students like Maths, 36 like Science, and 24 like both the subjects.
Find the number of students who Maths only.
(a) 16 (b) 42 (c) 52 (d) None

Solution (a)

Page 7.17 – Problem 3 (ii)

In a class of 60 students, 40 students like Maths, 36 like Science, and 24 like both the subjects.
Find the number of students who Science only.
(a) 16 (b) 12 (c) 52 (d) None

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Solution (b)

Exercise 7C – Question 10
In a group of 20 children, 8 drink tea but not coffee and 13 like tea. The number of children
drinking coffee but not tea is:
(a) 6 (b) 7 (c) 1 (d) None

Solution (b)

May, 2007
In a survey of 300 companies, the number of companies using different media – Newspapers
(N), Radio (R) and Television (T) are as follows: n ( N ) = 200 , n ( R ) = 100 , n (T ) = 40 ,
n ( N  R ) = 50 , n ( R  T ) = 20 , n ( N  T ) = 25 , n ( N  R  T ) = 5 . Find the number of
companies using none of these media.
(a) 20 (b) 250 (c) 30 (d) 50

Solution (d)

November, 2007
In a town of 20,000 families, it was found that 40% families buy newspaper A, 20% families
buy newspaper B, and 10% families buy newspaper C. 5% families buy A and B, 3% buy B and
C, and 4% buy A and C. If 2% families buy all the three newspapers, find the number of families
which buy A only.
(a) 6600 (b) 6300 (c) 5600 (d) 600

Solution (a)

February, 2008
Out of total 150 students, 45 passed in Accounts, 30 in Economics and 50 in Maths. 30 passed
in both Accounts and Maths, 32 in both Maths and Economics, 35 in both Accounts and
Economics, and 25 students passed in all the three subjects. Find the number of students who
passed at least in any one of the subjects.
(a) 63 (b) 53 (c) 73 (d) None

Solution (b)

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December, 2012
In a group of 200 persons, 100 are interested in music, 70 in photography and 40 in swimming.
Furthermore, 40 are interested in both music and photography, 30 in both music and swimming,
20 in photography and swimming and 10 in all the three. How many are interested in
photography but not in music and swimming?
(a) 30 (b) 15 (c) 25 (d) 20

Solution (d)

December, 2013
Of the 200 candidates who were interviewed for a position at call centre, 100 had a two-wheeler,
70 had a credit card and 140 had a mobile phone; 40 of them had both a two-wheeler and a
credit card, 30 had both a credit card and a mobile phone, 60 had both a two-wheeler and a
mobile phone, and 10 had all three. How many candidates had none of the three?
(a) 0 (b) 20 (c) 10 (d) 18

Solution (c)

Note –
Remember the following formula:

n ( A  B  C ) = n ( A) + n ( B ) + n ( C ) − n ( A  B ) − n ( B  C ) − n ( A  C ) + n ( A  B  C )

Exercise 7C – Question 21
Out of 2000 employees in an office, 48% preferred Coffee (C), 54% liked Tea (T), 64% used
to smoke (S). Out of the total 28% used C and T, 32% used T and S and 30% preferred C and
S, only 6% did none of these. The number having all the three is:
(a) 360 (b) 300 (c) 380 (d) None

Solution (a)

Exercise 7C – Question 22
Out of 2000 employees in an office, 48% preferred Coffee (C), 54% liked Tea (T), 64% used
to smoke (S). Out of the total 28% used C and T, 32% used T and S and 30% preferred C and
S, only 6% did none of these. The number of employees having T and S but not C is:
(a) 200 (b) 280 (c) 300 (d) None

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Solution (b)

Exercise 7C – Question 23
Out of 2000 employees in an office, 48% preferred Coffee (C), 54% liked Tea (T), 64% used
to smoke (S). Out of the total 28% used C and T, 32% used T and S and 30% preferred C and
S, only 6% did none of these. The number of employees preferring only coffee is:
(a) 100 (b) 260 (c) 160 (d) None

Solution(c)

Page 7.17 – Problem 1

Out of a group of 20 teachers in a school, 10 teach Mathematics, 9 teach Physics and 7 teach
Chemistry. 4 teach Mathematics and Physics but none teach both Mathematics and Chemistry.
How many teach Chemistry and Physics? How many teach only Physics?
(a) 3; 2 (b) 2; 3 (c) 4; 5 (d) None

Solution (b)

Additional Question Bank – Question 90

Out of 1000 students 658 failed in the aggregate, 166 in the aggregate and in group-I 434 in
aggregate and in group-II, 372 in group-I, 590 in group-II and 126 in both the groups. Find out
how many failed in all the three.
(a) 106 (b) 224 (c) 206 (d) 464

Solution (a)

Additional Question Bank – Question 91

Out of 1000 students 658 failed in the aggregate, 166 in the aggregate and in group-I 434 in
aggregate and in group-II, 372 in group-I, 590 in group-II and 126 in both the groups. How
many failed in the aggregate but not in group-II?
(a) 106 (b) 224 (c) 206 (d) 464

Solution (b)

CA NISHANT KUMAR 19
Additional Question Bank – Question 92
Out of 1000 students 658 failed in the aggregate, 166 in the aggregate and in group-I 434 in
aggregate and in group-II, 372 in group-I, 590 in group-II and 126 in both the groups. How
many failed in group-I but not in the aggregate?
(a) 106 (b) 224 (c) 206 (d) 464

Solution (c)

Additional Question Bank – Question 93

Out of 1000 students 658 failed in the aggregate, 166 in the aggregate and in group-I 434 in
aggregate and in group-II, 372 in group-I, 590 in group-II and 126 in both the groups. How
many failed in group-II but not in group-I?
(a) 106 (b) 224 (c) 206 (d) 464

Solution (d)

Additional Question Bank – Question 94

Out of 1000 students 658 failed in the aggregate, 166 in the aggregate and in group-I 434 in
aggregate and in group-II, 372 in group-I, 590 in group-II and 126 in both the groups. How
many failed in aggregate or group-II but not in group-I?
(a) 206 (b) 464 (c) 628 (d) 164

Solution (c)

Additional Question Bank – Question 95

Out of 1000 students 658 failed in the aggregate, 166 in the aggregate and in group-I 434 in
aggregate and in group-II, 372 in group-I, 590 in group-II and 126 in both the groups. How
many failed in aggregate but not in group-I and group-II?
(a) 206 (b) 464 (c) 628 (d) 164

Solution (d)

CA NISHANT KUMAR 20
 Unit 2 – Relations
Product Sets/Cartesian Product of Sets
It is pretty simple → it’s like multiplying ( x + y + z ) and ( a + b ) . For example, let
A = 1, 2, 3 , and B = 4, 5 . Then A  B = (1, 4 ) , (1, 5 ) , ( 2, 4 ) , ( 2, 5 ) , ( 3, 4 ) , ( 3, 5 ) . The
individual elements of the set A × B, i.e. (1, 4), (1, 5), … are called ordered pairs.

Page 7.8 – Illustration

Let A = {1, 2, 3}, B = {4, 5}, find A × B.
(a) {(1, 4), (1, 5), (2, 4) (2, 5), (3, 4), (3, 5)}
(b) {(4, 1), (1, 5), (2, 4) (2, 5), (3, 4), (3, 5)}
(c) {(1, 4), (5, 1), (2, 4) (2, 5), (3, 4), (3, 5)}
(d) None

Solution (a)

Page 7.8 – Example 2

Let P = {1, 3, 6} and Q = {3, 5}, find P × Q.
(a) {(1, 3), (1, 5), (3, 3), (5, 5), (6, 3), (6, 5)}
(b) {(1, 3), (1, 5), (3, 3), (3, 5), (6, 3), (5, 6)}
(c) {(1, 3), (1, 5), (3, 3), (3, 5), (6, 3), (6, 5)}
(d) None

Solution (c)

Exercise 7C – Question 15
Given A = {2, 3}, B = {4, 5}, C = {5, 6} then A × (B  C) is:
(a) {(2, 5), (3, 5)} (b) {(5, 2), (5, 3)}
(c) {(2, 3), (5, 5)} (d) None

Solution (a)

CA NISHANT KUMAR 21
Page 7.8 – Example 1
If A × B = {(3, 2), (3, 4), (5, 2), (5, 4)}, find A and B.
(a) A = {3, 5}; B = {2, 4} (b) A = {2, 4}; B = {3, 5}
(c) A = {1}; B = {2} (d) None

Solution(a)

No. of Elements in a Product Set

n ( A  B ) = n ( A)  n ( B )

Page 7.9 – Illustration 1

If the number of elements in set P is 3 and the number of elements in set Q is 2, then find the
number of elements in the set P × Q.
(a) 5 (b) 6 (c) 1 (d) None

Solution (b)

Exercise 7C – Question 14
If the set P has 3 elements, Q four and R two then the set P × Q × R contains:
(a) 9 elements (b) 20 elements (c) 24 elements (d) None

Solution (c)

Relations
Consider the following persons:
Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Karishma Kapoor, Jahnvi Kapoor, Khushi
Kapoor, Arpita Khan, Kareena Kapoor.
Now, let’s create two sets – Set A consisting of all the male members, and Set B consisting of
all the female members.
A = {Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor}
B = {Karishma Kapoor, Jahnvi Kapoor, Khushi Kapoor, Arpita Khan, Kareena Kapoor}
Now, we know that Salman is the brother of Arpita; Ranbir is the brother of Karishma and
Kareena; and Arjun is the brother of Jahnvi and Khushi. If we denote “is the brother of” with
the letter R, then the above can be represented as: Salman R Arpita, Ranbir R Karishma, Ranbir
R Kareena, Arjun R Jahnvi, Arjun R Khushi.

CA NISHANT KUMAR 22
Now, instead of writing R between every brother and sister, let’s create a set R with ordered
pairs. We’ll arrive at the following:
R = {(Salman, Arpita), (Ranbir, Karishma), (Ranbir, Kareena), (Arjun, Jahnvi), (Arjun,
Khushi)}
Following is a visual representation of the above:

Also,
A × B = {(Salman, Arpita), (Salman, Karishma), (Salman, Kareena), (Salman, Jahnvi), (Salman,
Khushi), (Ranbir, Arpita), (Ranbir, Karishma), (Ranbir, Kareena), (Ranbir, Jahnvi), (Ranbir,
Khushi), (Arjun, Arpita), (Arjun, Karishma), (Arjun, Kareena), (Arjun, Jahnvi), (Arjun,
Khushi)}
And,
R = {(Salman, Arpita), (Ranbir, Karishma), (Ranbir, Kareena), (Arjun, Jahnvi), (Arjun,
Khushi)}
Clearly R is a subset of A × B.
Therefore, a relation from set A to set B is denoted by one or more ordered pairs, where the first
element of every ordered pair belongs to set A and the second element of every ordered pair
belongs to set B. We know that ordered pairs arise when two sets are multiplied. Since a relation
between two sets is “one or more ordered pairs”, it implies that a relation between the sets A
and B is basically a subset of the product of both the sets.

For example, let A = 1, 2, 3 and B = a, b, c , then, A  B =

(1, a ) , (1, b ) , (1, c ) , ( 2, a ) , ( 2, b ) , ( 2, c ) , ( 3, a ) , ( 3, b ) , (3, c )
Now, R = (1, b ) , ( 2, c ) , (1, a ) , ( 3, a ) is a relation from A to B since R is a subset of A × B.

From the above discussion, one thing is clear that a set R is a relation from set A to set B only
if R is a subset of A × B.

CA NISHANT KUMAR 23
Question

If A = a, b, c, d  , B =  p, q, r , s , then is R1 = ( a, p ) , ( b, r ) , ( c, s ) a relation from A to

B?
(a) Yes (b) No (c) Can’t Say (d) None

Solution (a)

Question

If A = a, b, c, d  , B =  p, q, r , s , then is R2 = ( q, b ) , ( c, s ) , ( d , r ) a relation from A to

B?
(a) Yes (b) No (c) Can’t Say (d) None

Solution (b)

Question

If A = a, b, c, d  , B =  p, q, r , s then is R3 = ( a, p ) , ( a, q ) , ( d , p ) , ( c, r ) , ( b, r ) a
relation from A to B?
(a) Yes (b) No (c) Can’t Say (d) None

Solution (a)

Question

If A = a, b, c, d  , B =  p, q, r , s , then is R4 = ( a, p ) , ( q, a ) , ( b, s ) , ( s, b ) a relation

from A to B?
(a) Yes (b) No (c) Can’t Say (d) None

Solution (b)

Total Number of Relations

Let A and B be two non-empty finite sets consisting of m and n elements respectively. Then A
× B consists of mn ordered pairs. So, total number of subsets of A × B is 2 mn . Since each subset
of A × B defines a relation from A to B, so total number of relations from A to B is 2 mn .

CA NISHANT KUMAR 24
For example, let A = {1, 2, 3} and B = {4, 5, 6, 7}, then the number of relations from A to B =
234 = 212 = 4,096 .

Domain and Range of a Relation

Domain is the set of all the first elements of the ordered pairs in a relation; and Range is the set
of all the second elements of the ordered pairs in a relation.
For example, if A = {1, 3, 5, 7} and B = {2, 4, 6, 8, 10}, and let R = {(1, 8), (3, 6), (5, 2), (1,
4)} be a relation from A to B, then Domain is {1, 3, 5} and Range is {8, 6, 2, 4}. Domain and
Range are written as Dom (R) = {1, 3, 5} and Range (R) = {8, 6, 2, 4} respectively.

Page 7.16 – Illustration 1

For the relation R = {(1, 2), (1, 4), (3, 2), (3, 4)}, find the Domain and Range.

(a) Dom ( R ) = 1, 3 ; Range ( R ) = 2, 4

(b) Dom ( R ) = 1, 4 ; Range ( R ) = 2, 4
(c) Dom ( R ) = 1, 3 ; Range ( R ) = 2, 3
(d) None

Solution (a)

Page 7.16 – Illustration 2

For a relation R, the Dom (R) = {1, 3} and Range = {2, 4}. Identify the relation.
(a) “Is more than” (b) “Is less than”
(c) “Is equal to” (d) None
Solution (b)

Different Types of Relations

Following are the various types of relations:
1. Identity Relation
2. Reflexive Relation
3. Symmetric Relation
4. Transitive Relation
5. Equivalence Relation
6. Inverse Relation

Identity Relation
If every element in a set is related only to itself, such a relation is known as an identity relation.
For example, let A = {1, 2, 3}, and R = {(1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3)}. Now, R is an identity relation
because every element of the set A is related only to itself.

CA NISHANT KUMAR 25
Mathematically, it can be represented as:

A relation R on the set A is an identity relation if and only if R = ( a, a ) : a  A .

Page 7.16 – Illustration 3

Consider the relation R = {(1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3)} on set A = {1, 2, 3}. This relation is:
(a) Identity Relation (b) Reflexive Relation
(c) Transitive Relation (d) None

Solution (a)

Reflexive Relation
A reflexive relation is very similar to identity relation with only one difference, i.e., in addition
to there being all the elements related to themselves, there may also be some other elements
present in the relation. For example, let A = {1, 2, 3}, and R = {(1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3), (1, 2), (2,
3)}. Now, R is a reflexive relation because in addition to all the elements being related to
themselves, some elements are related to some other elements as well. The only condition is
that both the elements of the ordered pairs should belong to the same set A.
Mathematically, it can be represented as:

A relation R on the set A is a reflexive relation if ( a, a )  R for all a  A.

Difference between Identity and Reflexive Relations

An identity relation is always a reflexive relation but a reflexive relation may or may not be an
identity relation.
Consider the set A = {3, 4, 5}. Now, if the relation set R = {(3, 3), (4, 4), (5, 5)}, then R is called
the identity relation as every element of the set A is related only to itself. It is also a reflexive
relation because every element of the set A is related to itself.
Now, consider the relation R = {(3, 3), (4, 4), (5, 5), (3, 5), (4, 5)}. This relation is a reflexive
relation because of the following two properties:
1. Every element of set A is related to itself, and
2. Some other elements are also there, all belonging to the set A.
However, this is not an identity relation because it contains other elements as well.

Symmetric Relation
Consider the following example: Ayushman Khurana is the brother of Aparshakti Khurana, and
therefore, obviously, Aparshakti Khurana is the brother of Ayushman Khurana. Such a relation
is known as a symmetric relation. So, in a relation R, if (a, b)  R, and therefore, (b, a) also
belongs to R, such a relation is known as a symmetric relation.
Mathematically, it can be represented as:

CA NISHANT KUMAR 26
A relation R on the set A is a symmetric relation if ( a, b )  R  ( b, a )  R .

Transitive Relation
Consider the following example: Salman Khan is the brother of Arbaz Khan, and Arbaz Khan
is the brother of Sohail Khan; so, obviously, Salman Khan is the brother of Sohail Khan, right!
This is called transitive relation. So, in a relation R, if (a, b)  R and (b, c)  R, and therefore,
(a, c) also belongs to R, such a relation is known as a transitive relation.
Mathematically, it can be represented as:

A relation R on the set A is a symmetric relation if ( a, b )  R and ( b, c )  R  ( a, c )  R.

Methodology for Solving Questions

Questions in exams ask you to determine whether a relation is a reflexive, symmetric or a
transitive relation. You need to follow the following methodology:
• First step is to always assume that the relation IS a reflexive, symmetric or a transitive
relation, based on what the question is asking.
• Thereafter, you need to check whether there exists anything which goes against the
definition of reflexive, symmetric, or a transitive relation, so as to make the relation
NOT reflexive, symmetric, or transitive.
The following question will demonstrate how you need to go about solving a question in exam.

Page 7.16 – Illustration 5 (i)

Let A = {1, 2, 3}, then R1 = {(1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3), (1, 2)}
(a) Only Reflexive (b) Reflexive & Symmetric
(c) Reflexive & Transitive (d) Equivalence

Solution (c)

Page 7.16 – Illustration 5 (ii)

Let A = {1, 2, 3}, then R2 = {(1, 1), (2, 2), (1, 2), (2, 1)}
(a) Only Symmetric (b) Reflexive & Symmetric
(c) Reflexive & Transitive (d) Symmetric & Transitive

Solution (d)

Page 7.16 – Illustration 5 (iii)

Let A = {1, 2, 3}, then R3 = {(1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3), (1, 2), (2, 1), (2, 3), (3, 2)}

CA NISHANT KUMAR 27
 (a) Only Symmetric (b) Reflexive & Symmetric
(c) Reflexive & Transitive (d) Symmetric & Transitive

Solution
(b)

Exercise 7C – Question 4
“is perpendicular to” over the set of straight lines in a given plane is:
(a) Reflexive (b) Symmetric (c) Transitive (d) Equivalence

Solution (b)

Exercise 7C – Question 5
“is the reciprocal of” over the set of non-zero real numbers is:
(a) Symmetric (b) Reflexive (c) Transitive (d) None

Solution (a)

Exercise 7C – Question 1
“Is smaller than” over the set of eggs in a box is:
(a) Transitive (b) Symmetric (c) Reflexive (d) Equivalence

Solution (a)

Page 7.15 – Illustration

“Is parallel to” over the set of straight lines is:
(a) Transitive (b) Symmetric (c) Reflexive (d) Equivalence

Solution (d)

Exercise 7C – Question 2
“Is equal to” over the set of all rational numbers is
(a) Transitive (b) Symmetric (c) Reflexive (d) Equivalence

CA NISHANT KUMAR 28
Solution (d)

Exercise 7C – Question 3
“has the same father as” over the set of children:
(a) Reflexive (b) Symmetric (c) Transitive (d) Equivalence

Solution (d)

Exercise 7C – Question 6

( x, y ) : y = x is:
(a) Reflexive (b) Symmetric (c) Transitive (d) Equivalence

Solution (d)

Exercise 7C – Question 7
{(x, y) : x + y = 2x where x and y are positive integers}, is:
(a) Reflexive (b) Symmetric (c) Transitive (d) Equivalence

Solution (d)

Exercise 7C – Question 8
“Is the square of” over n set of real numbers is:
(a) Reflexive (b) Symmetric (c) Transitive (d) Equivalence

Solution (d)

Inverse Relation
An example of an inverse relation is given below:
Consider the set A = {1, 2, 3}, and the relation R = {(1, 2), (2, 2), (3, 1), (3, 2)}. Here, Dom (R)
= {1, 2, 3}, and Range (R) = {2, 1}. Now the inverse of this relation (R–1) = {(2, 1), (2, 2), (1,
3), (2, 3)}. Therefore, to make an inverse relation, simply interchange the position of elements
in all the ordered pairs. Now, here, Dom (R–1) = {2, 1}, and Range (R–1) = {1, 2, 3}.

CA NISHANT KUMAR 29
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that Dom (R) = Range (R–1); and Range (R) =
Dom (R–1).

Page 7.16 – Illustration 4

Let A = {1, 2, 3} and R = {(1, 2), (2, 2), (3, 1), (3, 2)}. Find the Domain and Range of R−1.

(a) Dom ( R −1 ) = 2, 1 ; Range ( R −1 ) = 1, 2, 3

(b) Dom ( R −1 ) = 2, 3 ; Range ( R −1 ) = 1, 2, 3
(c) Dom ( R −1 ) = 1, 3 ; Range ( R −1 ) = 1, 2, 3
(d) None

Solution (a)

CA NISHANT KUMAR 30
 Unit 3 – Functions
Introduction
• Consider the following linear equation in two variables: y = 2 x + 3
• Now, you may easily find out the value of y for any value of x.
• For example, for x = 1, y = 2 × 1 + 3 = 5
For example, for x = 2, y = 2 × 2 + 3 = 7
For example, for x = 3, y = 2 × 3 + 3 = 9, and so on…
• Here, in this equation “ y = 2 x + 3 ”, y is nothing but a function of x.
• In terms of functions, it is written as: f ( x ) = 2 x + 3 .
• If we consider a set A = {1, 2, 3}, and a set B = {5, 7, 9, 10} and prepare a relation
" y = 2 x + 3" , it’ll be the set R = {(1, 5), (2, 7), (3, 9)}.
• Now this set R is known as a function which represented as: f ( x ) = ( x, y ) : y = 2 x + 3
.
• The pictorial representation is given below:

• The values 5, 7, and 9 are known as the images, and the values 1, 2, and 3 are known
as the pre-images of the function f ( x ) .
• We can see from the above discussion that for any value of x, there is always a unique
value of y.
• This is the basic definition of function.
• A function is a relation, wherein, for every value of x, there is a unique value of y.
• In other words, a relation is said to be a function when both the following conditions
are satisfied:
o All the values of set A have an image in set B, and
o All the values of set A have a single image in set B.

CA NISHANT KUMAR 31
Consider the following diagrams:

• f1 is not a function from A to B because the first condition, i.e. “All the values of set A
should have an image in set B” is not satisfied. This is so, because the value “3” in set
A does not have any image in set B.
• f 2 is not a function from A to B because the second condition, i.e. “All the values of set
A should have a single image in set B” is not satisfied. This is so, because the value “4”
in set A has two images in set B, i.e. “c” and “e”.
• f3 is a function from A to B because both the conditions are satisfied. Please note that
it doesn’t matter that the elements “2”, as well as “3” from set A have the same image
“b” in set B. All that matters is that the element “2” has only one image, i.e. “b”, and
the element “3” also has only one image, i.e. “b”. It doesn’t matter that the image for
both the elements is the same.
• f 4 is a function from A to B because both the conditions are satisfied.

Note – A function from set A to set B is also known as “mapping” from set A to set B, and is
represented as f : A → B.

Exercise 7B – Question 10

If f ( x ) = 1 / 1 − x , f ( −1) is:

(a) 0 (b) ½ (c) 0 (d) None

Solution (b)

CA NISHANT KUMAR 32
Exercise 7B – Question 11

If g ( x ) = ( x − 1) / x , g(–½) is:

(a) 1 (b) 2 (c) 3/2 (d) 3

Solution (d)

Exercise 7B – Question 18

If f ( x ) = x + 3 , g ( x ) = x 2 , then f ( x ) .g ( x ) is:

(a) ( x + 3)
2
(b) x2 + 3 (c) x3 + 3x2 (d) None

Solution (c)

Page 7.10 – Example

Let N be the set of all natural numbers; then is the rule f : N → N : f ( x ) = 2 xx  N a
function?
(a) Yes (b) No (c) Can’t Say (d) None

Solution (a)

Page 7.10 – Illustration (ii)

Let X = {1, 2, 3, 4} and Y = {1, 2, 3}. Is the relation {(1, 2), (1, 3), (2, 3)} a function from X to
Y?
(a) Yes (b) No (c) Can’t Say (d) None
Solution (b)

Exercise 7B – Question 1
If A = {x, y, z}, B = {p, q, r, s}, which of the following relations on A to B is a function?

(a) ( x, p ) , ( x, q ) , ( y, r ) , ( z, s )
(b) ( x, s ) , ( y, s ) , ( z , s )
(c) ( y, p ) , ( y, q ) , ( y, r ) , ( z , s )
(d) ( x, p ) , ( y, r ) , ( z , s )
Solution (b), (d)

CA NISHANT KUMAR 33
Exercise 7B – Question 3

( x, y ) | x = 4 where x, y  R is:
(a) not a function (b) a function
(c) one-one mapping (d) None

Solution (a)

Exercise 7B – Question 4

( x, y ) | y = x  where x, y  R is:
2

(a) not a function (b) a function

(c) inverse mapping (d) None

Solution (b)

Exercise 7B – Question 5

( x, y ) | x  y where x, y  R is:
(a) not a function (b) a function
(c) one-one mapping (d) None

Solution (a)

Exercise 7C – Question 18
Which of the diagram is graph of a function?
(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Solution (b)

CA NISHANT KUMAR 34
Domain, Co-Domain, and Range of a Function
Let f : A → B , then set A is known as the Domain of the function, set B is known as the Co-
Domain of the function and the set of all the image elements is known as the Range of the
function.
For example, consider a set A = {1, 2, 3}, and a set B = {5, 7, 9, 10}. The set for the function
f ( x) = 2x + 3 would be f = (1, 5 ) , ( 2, 7 ) , ( 3, 9 ) . Now, Dom ( f ) = 1, 2, 3 ;
Co − Dom ( f ) = 5, 7, 9, 10 ; Range ( f ) = 5, 7, 9 .

Exercise 7B – Question 6
The domain of {(1, 7), (2, 6)} is:
(a) (1, 6) (b) (7, 6) (c) {1, 2} (d) {6, 7}

Solution (c)

Page 7.9 – Illustration 2

Let A = {1, 2, 3, 4} and B = {1, 4, 9, 16, 25}. Consider the rule f ( x ) = x 2 . Find the domain
and range of the function.
(a) Domain = {1, 2, 3, 4}; Range = {1, 4, 9, 16}
(b) Domain = {1, 2, 3, 4}; Range = {1, 4, 9, 16, 25}
(c) Domain = {1, 2, 3, 4}; Range = {1, 4, 9}
(d) None

Solution (a)

Exercise 7B – Question 8

The domain and range of ( x, y ) : y = x  where x, y  R is:

2

(a) (Reals, Natural Numbers)

(b) (Reals, Non-Negative Reals)
(c) (Reals, Reals)
(d) None

Solution (b)

CA NISHANT KUMAR 35
Exercise 7B – Question 7
The range of {(3, 0), (2, 0), (1, 0), (0, 0)} is:
(a) {0, 0} (b) {0} (c) {0, 0, 0, 0} (d) None

Solution (b)

Exercise 7B – Question 15

The range of the function f ( x ) = log10 (1 + x ) for the domain of real values of x when 0  x  9
is:

(a)  0, 1 (b)  0, 1, 2  (c) 0, − 1 (d) None

Solution (a)

Exercise 7B – Question 20

For the function h ( x ) = 101+ x , the domain of real values of x where 0  x  9 , the range is:

(a) 10  h ( x )  1010 (b) 0  h ( x )  1010

(c) 0  h ( x )  10 (d) None

Solution (a)

Exercise 7B – Question 9
Let the domain of x be the set {1}. Which of the following functions give values equal to 1?

(a) f ( x ) = x2 , g ( x ) = x
(b) f ( a ) = x, g ( x ) = 1 − x
f ( x ) = x 2 + x + 2, g ( x ) = ( x + 1)
2
(c)
(d) None

Solution (a)

Various Types of Functions

Following are the various types of functions:
1. One-One Function

CA NISHANT KUMAR 36
 2. Many-One Function
3. Onto or Surjective Functions
4. Into Functions
5. Bijection Function
6. Identity Function
7. Constant Function
8. Equal Functions
9. Composite Functions
10. Inverse of a Function

One-One Function
Let there be two non-empty sets – A and B. A function f is said to be a one-one function from
set A to set B if different elements of set A have different images in set B. Following is the
diagrammatic representation of a one-one function.

For example, let A = {4, 5, 6}, B = {9, 10, 11, 12}. Let f = {(4, 9), (5, 10), (6, 12)}. Here, f is a
one-one function as different elements in set A have different images in set B.
One-one functions are also known as injective functions.

Page 7.10 – Illustration (i)

Let A = {1, 2, 3} and B = {2, 4, 6}. Consider f : A → B : f ( x ) = 2 x . Is this a one-one function?

(a) Yes (b) No (c) Can’t Say (d) None

Solution (a)

Exercise 7B – Question 2

( x, y ) | x + y = 5 where x, y  R is:
(a) Not a function (b) Composite function
(c) One-one mapping (d) None

Solution (c)

CA NISHANT KUMAR 37
Exercise 7B – Question 14

The function f ( x ) = 2 x is:

(a) One-one mapping (b) One-many

(c) Many-one (d) None

Solution (a)

Many-One Function
Let there be two non-empty sets – A and B. A function f is said to be a many-one function from
set A to set B if two or more distinct elements of set A have the same image in set B. Following
is the diagrammatic representation of a many-one function.

For example, let A = {–4, 4, 5}, B = {16, 25}. Consider the rule f ( x ) = x 2 . Now,
f ( −4 ) = ( −4 ) = 16 ; f ( 4 ) = ( 4 ) = 16 ; f ( 5 ) = ( 5 ) = 25 . Therefore, f = {(–4, 16), (4, 16), (5,
2 2 2

25)}. Here, since two distinct elements of set A, i.e. “–4” and “4” have the same image “16” in
set B, this is a many-one function.

Onto or Surjective Functions

Let there be two non-empty sets – A and B. A function f is said to be an onto function from set
A to set B if every element in set B has at least one pre-image in set A.
For example, let A = {6, 7, 8}, B = {9, 10}, and let f = {(6, 9), (7, 10), (8, 10)}. Here, since
every element of B has at least one pre-image in set A, f is an onto function.

Page 7.11 – Illustration 1

Let N be the set of all natural numbers and E be the set of all even natural numbers. Then, the
function f : N → E : f ( x ) = 2 xx  N is:

(a) Onto (b) Into (c) Can’t Say (d) None

Solution (a)

CA NISHANT KUMAR 38
Into Functions
Let there be two non-empty sets – A and B. A function f is said to be an into function from set
A to set B if one or more elements in set B do not have even a single pre-image in set A.

Page 7.11 – Illustration 2

Let A = {2, 3, 5, 7}, B = {0, 1, 3, 5, 7}. Then, the function f : A → B : f ( x ) = x − 2 is:

(a) Onto (b) Into (c) Can’t Say (d) None

Solution (b)

Bijection Function
A function which is one-one and onto is known as a Bijective Function. A bijective function is
also known as one-to-one correspondence.

Identity Function
Let A be a non-empty set. An identity function is defined as follows:

f : A → A : f ( x) = x  x  A

Therefore, it is a one-to-one onto function with domain A and range A.

An identity function is denoted by the letter I.
If you think about it, it is exactly like an identity relation.

Constant Function
Let there be two non-empty sets – A and B. A function f is said to be a constant function from
set A to set B if every element in set A has the same image element in set B.

For example, let A = {1, 2, 3}, B = {5, 7, 9}. Let f : A → B : f ( x ) = 5 for all x  A . Here,
f (1) = 5; f ( 2 ) = 5 ; f ( 3) = 5 . Therefore, f = {(1, 5), (2, 5), (3, 5)}. Clearly, all the elements of
A have the same image in set B. Therefore, this is a constant function.
Note – The range set of a constant function is a singleton set.

Page 7.12 – Illustration

Let A = {1, 2, 3}, B = {5, 7, 9}. Then, the function f : A → B : f ( x ) = 5 for all x  A is:

(a) One-one (b) Onto (c) Constant function (d) None

Solution (c)

CA NISHANT KUMAR 39
Equal Functions
Let there be two functions f and g. They will be said to be equal to each other when both the
following conditions are satisfied:
1. Both f and g have the same domain, and
2. f ( x ) = g ( x ) for all the values of x.

For example, let A = {1, 2}, B = {3, 6}; f : A → B : f ( x ) = x 2 + 2 and g : A → B : g ( x ) = 3 x .

Then, obviously, f and g have the same domain. Also, f (1) = 12 + 2 = 3 ; f ( 2 ) = 22 + 2 = 6 , and,
g (1) = 3  1 = 3 ; g ( 2 ) = 3  2 = 6 . Therefore, we find that f (1) = g (1) , and f ( 2 ) = g ( 2 ) .
Since both the conditions of equality of two functions are satisfied, f = g .

Composite Functions
Till now, we’ve studied functions such as f ( x ) = x + 1 , or f ( x ) = x 2 + 2 , or f ( x ) = 2 x , and
so on. In all such functions, we simply had to put the value of x to find the value of the function.
For example, find the value of the function f ( x ) = x + 1 for x = 3 . You would simply put the
value of x as “3”, and solve it as follows: f ( 3) = 3 + 1 = 4 . Easy!

Now, consider the following:

Let there be a function f ( x ) = x + 1 , and another function g ( x ) = 2 x + 2 . Find the value of

f ( g ( x ) ) for x = 3 . Confused? It’s pretty simple actually! The question wants us to calculate
f ( g ( 3) ) . Therefore, instead of putting the value of x as “3” in f ( x ) = x + 1 , we simply have
to put the value of x as “ g ( 3) ” in f ( x ) = x + 1 . For this, first we’ll calculate g ( 3) .
g ( 3) = ( 2  3) + 2 = 8 ; now we’ll put this value 8 in f ( x ) = x + 1  f ( 8 ) = 8 + 1 = 9 . Thus, we
have arrived at the value of f ( g ( x ) ) for x = 3 , or f ( g ( 3) ) . It is also written as fog ( 3) . Such
functions are known as Composite Functions.
Exercise 7B – Question 12

If f ( x ) = 1 / 1 − x and g ( x ) = ( x − 1) / x , then fog ( x ) is:

(a) x (b) 1/x (c) –x (d) None

Solution (a)

Exercise 7B – Question 13

If f ( x ) = 1 / 1 − x and g ( x ) = ( x − 1) / x , then gof ( x ) is:

(a) x – 1 (b) x (c) 1/x (d) None

Solution (b)

CA NISHANT KUMAR 40
Exercise 7B – Question 17

If f ( x ) = x + 3 , and g ( x ) = x 2 , then fog ( x )

(c) ( x + 3)
2
(a) x2 + 3 (b) x2 + x + 3 (d) None

Solution (a)

Exercise 7C – Question 24

If f ( x ) = x + 3 , g ( x ) = x 2 , then gof ( x ) is:

(a) ( x + 3) (c) x 2 ( x + 3)
2
(b) x2 + 3 (d) None

Solution (a)

Inverse of a Function
Let there be two non-empty sets – A and B. Let there be a one-one onto function f : A → B. The
inverse of this function ( f −1 ) is given as f −1 : B → A . Following diagram will make it clear:

As can be seen clearly from the above diagram, the function f is a one-one onto function from
set A to set B. It maps 1 from set A to c of set B, and the function f −1 maps c from set B back
to 1 of set A. Similarly, the function f maps 2 from set A to a of set B, and the function f −1
maps a from set B back to 2 of set A. Similarly, the function f maps 3 from set A to d of set B,
and the function f −1 maps d from set B back to 3 of set A. Similarly, the function f maps 4
from set A to b of set B, and the function f −1 maps b from set B back to 4 of set A.

Technically speaking, if f ( x ) = y , and f ( y ) = x , then f −1 ( x ) = x .

Notes –
1. A function is invertible only if it is one-one onto.
2. If f is one-one onto, then f −1 is also one-one onto.

CA NISHANT KUMAR 41
December, 2008

If A = {1, 2, 3, 4}; B = {2, 4, 6, 8}; f (1) = 2 ; f ( 2 ) = 4 ; f ( 3 ) = 6; f ( 4 ) = 8 ; and f : A → B ,

then find f −1 .

(a) f −1 = ( 2, 1) , ( 4, 2 ) , ( 6, 3) , (8, 4 )
(b) f −1 = ( 2, 1) , ( 4, 2 ) , ( 6, 3) , ( 3, 4 )
(c) f −1 = ( 3, 1) , ( 4, 2 ) , ( 6, 3) , ( 3, 4 )
(d) None

Solution (a)

Exercise 7B – Question 16

Find the inverse of f ( x ) = 2 x is:

x
(a) 1/ 2x (b) (c) 1/ x (d) None
2

Solution (b)

From now on, follow the following steps to find out the inverse of any function.
Step 1 – Write the function in the form of an equation, substituting y in place of f ( x ) . For
example, in this question, the equation would be y = 2 x .
Step 2 – Rearrange the terms so that x comes on the LHS. In this question, it would be
y
x= .
2
Step 3 – Substitute f −1 ( x ) in place of x, and x in place of y. In this question, it would be
x
f −1 ( x ) = . This is your answer.
2

Exercise 7B – Question 19

The inverse h−1 when h ( x ) = log10 x is:

(a) log10 x (b) 10 x (c) log10 (1/ x ) (d) None

Solution (b)

CA NISHANT KUMAR 42
Exercise 7C – Question 25

If f ( x ) = 1 / 1 − x , then f −1 ( x ) is:

(a) 1 − x (b) ( x − 1) / x (c) x / ( x − 1) (d) None

Solution (b)

CA NISHANT KUMAR 43