If your solution to stated problem does not match the given solution, you should self-critique per instructions at

   http://vhcc2.vhcc.edu/dsmith/geninfo/labrynth_created_fall_05/levl1_22/levl2_81/file3_259.htm

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Your solution, attempt at solution.  If you are unable to attempt a solution, give a phrase-by-phrase interpretation of the problem along with a statement of what you do or do not understand about it.  This response should be given, based on the work you did in completing the assignment, before you look at the given solution.

004. Subsets; One-to-One Correspondences.

`qNote that there are 5 questions in this assignment.

Question: `q001. From the collection of letters a, b, c, d, e, how many smaller collections having at least one element may be formed?

Your solution:

Confidence Assessment:

Given Solution:

We will list the original collection by placing its elements between braces: { a, b, c, d, e }.

The collection {a, b, c, d} is a smaller collection obtained by eliminating e from the original collection. Similarly we can eliminate d or c or b or a to get the 4-element collections {a, b, c, e}, {a, b, d, e}, { a, c, d, e} and {b, c, d, e}.

Alternatively we could simply include either a or b or c or d or e in a 1-element collection, obtaining {a}, {b}, {c}, {d} and {e}. It should be clear that these are the only ways to form collections of 1 or 4 elements.

To form a collection of 2 elements we could include a and one other element, obtaining { a, b}, { a, c }, { a, d } and { a, e }.

Or we could include b and one other element (excluding a, since we already have the collection { a, b } which is identical to the collection { b, a } since it has exactly the same elements). We obtain { b, c }, { b, d } and { b, e }. {}Or we could include c and one other element (other than a or b, since these have already been listed) to obtain { c, d } and { c, e }.

Finally we could include d and the only other element left, e, to get { d, e}.

This gives us a complete listing of the 10 sets we can form with 2 of the original elements.

This leaves us the 3-element sets, which can be formed by excluding the 2-element sets. Working in reverse order, we can exclude { d, e } to get { a, b, c }, or { c, e } to get { a, b, d }, etc.. The remaining sets we get in this fashion are { a, b, e}, { a, c, d }, { a, c, e}, { a, d, e}, { b, c, d}, {b, c, e}, {b, d, e}, {c, d, e}. We thus have 10 three-element sets.

The total number of smaller sets containing at least one element is therefore 5 + 5 + 10 + 10 = 30.

STUDENT QUESTION

 I was using the 2 to the N power rule... Ive looked at it and im not quite sure why it doesn't apply here.

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE
 

The 2^n subsets include all subsets, including the empty set and the original set itself.

There are 2^n - 1 subsets containing at least one element (we exclude the empty set, which contains no elements).

We need to also exclude the set itself, since the question asks for 'smaller' sets.

This leaves us with 2^n - 2 smaller sets containing at least one element.

Self-critique (if necessary):

Self-critique Rating:

Question: `q002. A one-to-one correspondence between two sets is a rule that associates each element of the each with exactly one element of the other. A natural one-to-one correspondence between the sets { a, b, c } and { 1, 2, 3 } would be to associate a with 1, b with 2, c with 3. This correspondence might be represented as [ a <--> 1, b <--> 2, c <--> 3 ].

This isn't the only possible one-to-one correspondence between these sets. Another might be [ a <--> 2, b <--> 1, c <--> 3 ]. In each case, every element of each set is associated with exactly one element of the other.

Another correspondence between the sets might be [ a <--> 3, b<-->2, c<-->3 ]. This correspondence is not one-to-one. In what way does it fail to be a one-to-one correspondence (remember that a one-to-one correspondence is one in which every element of each set is associated with exactly one element of the other).

Your solution:

Confidence Assessment:

Given Solution:

[ a <--> 3, b<-->2, c<-->3 ] fails to be a one-to-one correspondence for two reasons. In the first place, 3 is associated with a and with c, and every element of each set is to be associated with exactly one element of the other. 3 is associated with two elements of the other set.

It also fails because the element 1 of the second set is not associated with anything in the first set.

Self-critique (if necessary):

Self-critique Rating:

Question: `q003. There are four possible one-to-one correspondences between the sets {a, b, c} and {1, 2, 3} which were not described in the preceding exercise. One of them would be [ a <--> 3, b <--> 2, c <--> 1 ]. What are the other three possible one-to-one correspondences?

Your solution:

Confidence Assessment:

Given Solution:

If we designate the correspondence [ a <--> 1, b <--> 2, c <--> 3 ] as the '123' correspondence, [a <--> 2, b <--> 1, c <--> 3 ] as the '213' correspondence and [a <--> 3, b <--> 2, c <--> 1 ] as the '321' correspondence, in each case listing the numbers associated with a, b, c in that order, we see that the remaining three correspondences could be designated 132, 231 and 312. These correspondences could of course be written out as [ a <--> 1, b <--> 3, c <--> 2 ], [ a <--> 2, b <--> 3, c <--> 1 ] and [ a <--> 3, b <--> 1, c <--> 2 ].

Note that 123, 132, 213, 231, 312, 321 represent the six ways of rearranging the digits 1, 2, 3 into a 3-digit number, listed in increasing order.

Self-critique (if necessary):

Self-critique Rating:

Question: `q004. Explain why it is not possible to put the sets { a, b, c} and {1, 2, 3, 4} into a one-to-one correspondence.

Your solution:

Confidence Assessment:

Given Solution:

One set has 3 elements and the other has 4 elements. A 1-to-1 correspondence has to match each element of each set with exactly one element of the other. It would not be possible to find four different elements of the first set to match with the four elements of the second.

Question: `q005.  List all the 1-1 correspondences between the set {Mary, Jennifer, Bill, Joe, Mike} and the set {football, basketball, soccer, hockey, golf} in which none of the males wear headgear.  Note that the listed sports that require headgear are football and hockey.

Your solution:

Confidence Rating:

Self-critique Rating: