SAT Math Question of the Day

Math Category: Algebraic Sets:

Q: If Set X = {1,2,5,7} and Set Y = {1,3,5,6,7,9}, then what is the union of Set X and Set Y?

  1. {1,2,3,5,7,9}
  2. {1,2,3,4,6,7,9}
  3. {1,3,5,6,7,8,9}
  4. {1,2,3,5,6,7,9}
  5. {1,2,3,4,5,7,9}

UNANSWERED.

The correct answer is D.

A: {1,2,3,5,6,7,9} is the right answer.

To find the union of 2 sets, list all the elements from either set. So to get the union, we first include all the elements from Set X: 1,2,5,7.

Then we add in the elements from Set Y = {1,3,5,6,7,9} one at a time:
The 1 is already in the union, so we don't need to list it twice.
Add in the 3: union = 1,2,3,5,7
The 5 is already in the union, so we don't need to list it twice.
Add in the 6: union = 1,2,3,5,6,7
The 7 is already in the union, so we don't need to list it twice.
Finally, add in the 9: union = 1,2,3,5,6,7,9
We finished adding all the elements from Set Y to Set X, so we're done. We have the union of Set X and Set Y.