Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications, Seventh Edition

Published by McGraw-Hill Education
ISBN 10: 0073383090
ISBN 13: 978-0-07338-309-5

Chapter 2 - Section 2.2 - Set Operations - Exercises - Page 136: 24

Answer

Prove both inclusions.

Work Step by Step

We have to prove that $$(A-B)-C=(A-C)-(B-C),$$ where $A$, $B$ and $C$ are sets. First we will prove that $(A-B)-C\subseteq (A-C)-(B-C).$ Let's take an arbitrary element $x\in (A-B)-C$. This means that $x\in A-B$ and $x\not\in C$, which can be further written as $$x\in A\text{ and }x\not\in B\text{ and }x\not\in C.$$ Because $x\in A\text{ and }x\not\in C$, it means $x\in A-C$. Because $x\not\in B$, it means $x\not \in B-C$ because $B-C$ contains a subset of $B$. Now because $x\in A-C$ and $x\not \in B-C$ it follows that $$(A-B)-C\subseteq (A-C)-(B-C).\tag1$$ Then we will prove that $(A-C)-(B-C)\subseteq (A-B)-C.$ Let's take an arbitrary element $x\in (A-C)-(B-C)$. This means that $x\in A-C$ and $x\not\in B-C$, which can be further written as $$x\in A\text{ and }x\not\in C\text{ and }x\not\in B.$$ Because $x\in A\text{ and }x\not\in B$, it means $x\in A-B$. Because $x\in A-B$ and $x\not\in C$, it means $x\in (A-B)-C$. We got: $$(A-C)-(B-C)\subseteq (A-B)-C.\tag2$$ From $(1)$ and $(2)$ we get: $$(A-B)-C=(A-C)-(B-C).$$
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