Description
Many of the concepts introduced here are as important in analysis or geom- etry as in algebra. The notions of set, relation, and function, as well as the meanings of the standard connectives of logic, are important in most areas of mathematics. The concept of an equivalence relation, which appears in many branches of mathematics, is of singular interest in algebra. Its importance in the study of algebra cannot be overemphasized. It will form an essential part of nearly every topic discussed throughout this book. Certain words in mathematics are so fundamental that they cannot be de- fined. Point and line are undefined in plane geometry, although the student quickly develops an intuitive understanding of their meaning from examples and illustrations. Similarly, we will take the words set and element as undefined. The word set is synonymous with collection, class, and aggregate and has the property of being associated with certain other objects called elements, which are said to be members of the set.
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