Subset

🅟 Feb 16, 2026

  🅤 Feb 25, 2026

Set Theory > Sets

DEF-SUB. Subset.

  • $X$ is a subset of $Y$, written $X\subseteq Y$, if

    \[\forall x :\enspace x\in X \enspace\Rightarrow\enspace x\in Y.\]
  • $X$ is a proper subset of $Y$, written $X\subset Y$, if $X\subseteq Y$ and $X\neq Y$.

PROP-SUB-EMP.

$\varnothing$ is the only set that is a subset of any set. That is, for any $X$,

\[X=\varnothing \enspace\Leftrightarrow\enspace \forall Y:X\subseteq Y.\]

PROP-SUB-REF. Reflexivity of $\subseteq$.

For any $X$,

\[X\subseteq X.\]

PROP-SUB-TR. Transitivity of $\subseteq$.

For any $X$, $Y$ and $Z$,

\[X\subseteq Y\land Y\subseteq Z \enspace\Rightarrow\enspace X\subseteq Z.\]

PROP-SUB-ATSYM. Antisymmetry of $\subseteq$.

For any $X$ and $Y$,

\[X\subseteq Y\land Y\subseteq X \enspace\Rightarrow\enspace X=Y.\]

PROP-SUB-PO.

For any $X$, if we let

\[{\subseteq_X} = \{(x,y)\in X\times X:x\subseteq y\},\]

then $\subseteq_X$ is a reflexive, transitive and antisymmetric relation (DEF-RP), which menas $\subseteq_X$ is a partial order.


PROP-SUB-PIREF. Irreflexivity of $\subset$.

For any $X$,

\[X\not\subset X.\]

PROP-SUB-PTR. Transitivity of $\subset$.

For any $X$, $Y$ and $Z$,

\[X\subset Y\land Y\subset Z \enspace\Rightarrow\enspace X\subset Z.\]

PROP-SUB-PASYM. Asymmetry of $\subset$.

For any $X$ and $Y$,

\[X\subset Y \enspace\Rightarrow\enspace Y\not\subset X.\]

PROP-SUB-SPO.

For any $X$, if we let

\[{\subset_X} = \{(x,y)\in X\times X:x\subset y\},\]

then $\subset$ is an irreflexive, transitive and asymmetric relation (DEF-RP), which means $\subset$ is a strict partial order.