Union

🅟 Feb 16, 2026

  🅤 Feb 24, 2026

Set Theory > Sets

DEF-U. Union.

  • The union of $X$, written as

    \[\bigcup X,\]

    is the unique set $Y$ such that

    \[\forall y :\enspace y\in Y \enspace\Leftrightarrow\enspace \exists x:x\in X\land y\in x.\]

    The existence of $Y$ is justified by Axiom of Union and the uniqueness is justified by Axiom of Extensionality.

  • For any $A$ and $B$, we define

    \[A\cup B = \bigcup\{A,B\}.\]

    For any $A$, $B$ and $C$, we define

    \[A\cup B\cup C = (A\cup B)\cup C,\]

    and so on.

PROP-U-EMP.

\[\bigcup\varnothing = \varnothing.\]

PROP-U-EMP2.

For any $X$,

\[X\cup\varnothing = X.\]

PROP-U-SLF.

For any $X$,

\[X\cup X = X.\]

PROP-U-COM. Commutativity.

For any $A$ and $B$,

\[A\cup B = B\cup A.\]

PROP-U-ASS. Associativity.

For any $A$, $B$ and $C$,

\[(A\cup B)\cup C = A\cup (B\cup C).\]