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Set (mathematics)

Collection of mathematical objects / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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A set is the mathematical model for a collection of different[1] things;[2][3][4] a set contains elements or members, which can be mathematical objects of any kind: numbers, symbols, points in space, lines, other geometrical shapes, variables, or even other sets.[5] The set with no element is the empty set; a set with a single element is a singleton. A set may have a finite number of elements or be an infinite set. Two sets are equal if they have precisely the same elements.[6]

Example_of_a_set.svg
A set of polygons in an Euler diagram

Sets are ubiquitous in modern mathematics. Indeed, set theory, more specifically Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory, has been the standard way to provide rigorous foundations for all branches of mathematics since the first half of the 20th century.[5]