# Set Theory--A Primer

DevFeed: [Set Theory--A Primer](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/set-theory-a-primer-40223.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.jeremykun.com/2011/07/09/set-theory-a-primer/>)

Published: 2011-07-09T18:14:59Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [Jeremy Kun](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/jeremy-kun.md>)

Topics: [Mathematics](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/mathematics.md>), [Math and Logic](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/math-and-logic.md>)

Tags: [axiom-of-choice](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/axiom-of-choice.md>), [bijections](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/bijections.md>), [cardinality](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/cardinality.md>), [countability](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/countability.md>), [example](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/example.md>), [functions](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/functions.md>), [mathematics](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/mathematics.md>), [numbers](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/numbers.md>), [power-set](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/power-set.md>), [primer](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/primer.md>), [set](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/set.md>), [set-theory](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/set-theory.md>), [symbols](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/symbols.md>), [theory](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/theory.md>), [variable](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/variable.md>)

## AI overview

This primer introduces set theory by defining sets, elements, membership, cardinality, notation, and several ways to construct sets. It uses numerical examples and introduces natural numbers, integers, and rational numbers while noting that unrestricted operations can lead to paradoxes.

## Source excerpt

It's often that a student's first exposure to rigorous mathematics is through set theory, as originally studied by Georg Cantor. This means we will not treat set theory axiomatically (as in ZF set theory), but rather we will take the definition of a set for granted, and allow any operation to be performed on a set. This will be clear when we present examples, and it will be clear why this is a bad idea when we present paradoxes.