Let P(S) denote the power set of set S. Which of the following is always true?
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Let P(S) denote the power set of set S. Which of the following is always true?
- A.
P(P(S)) = P(S)
- B.
P(S) ∩ P(P(S)) = {∅}
- C.
P(S) ∩ S = P(S)
- D.
S ∉ P(S)
Attempted by 79 students.
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Correct answer: B
The correct answer is: P(S) ∩ P(P(S)) = {∅}.
P(S) is the set of all subsets of S. Therefore, ∅ is always an element of P(S), because ∅ is a subset of every set.
P(P(S)) is the power set of P(S), so it contains all subsets of P(S). Again, ∅ is an element of P(P(S)), because ∅ is a subset of P(S).
Thus ∅ is common to both P(S) and P(P(S)). In the usual discrete-mathematics interpretation of this question, it is the only guaranteed common element, so:
P(S) ∩ P(P(S)) = {∅}.
Option A is false because P(P(S)) has more elements than P(S) in general. Option C is false because P(S) is a set of subsets, not generally contained in S. Option D is false because S is always a subset of itself, so S ∈ P(S).