If the set U = {all positive integers} and set A = {x|x ∈ U and x is an odd positive integer}, which describes the complement of set A, Ac?

Ac = {x|x ∈ U and is a negative integer}
Ac = {x|x ∈ U and is zero}
Ac = {x|x ∈ U and is not an integer}
Ac = {x|x ∈ U and is an even positive integer}

1 answer

To determine the complement of the set A, denoted as Ac, we need to understand what the set A consists of and then identify the elements that are not in this set.

The set A is defined as follows: \[ A = { x | x \in U \text{ and } x \text{ is an odd positive integer} } \] This means A contains all positive odd integers, such as 1, 3, 5, 7, and so on.

The universal set U consists of all positive integers: \[ U = { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, \ldots } \]

The complement of set A, Ac, will include all positive integers that are not in A. Since A contains all odd positive integers, Ac will include all positive integers that are not odd, which are the even positive integers.

Therefore, the correct description of Ac is: \[ Ac = { x | x \in U \text{ and is an even positive integer} } \]

Hence, the correct answer is: Ac = {x|x ∈ U and is an even positive integer}.