Question  Importance of Equivalent Sets, One-to-One Correspondence, Equal Sets, and Subsets Explain, in your own words, how the concepts of equivalent sets, one-to-one correspondence, equal sets, and subsets have applications in everyday life. Why is it essential for students to have a basic understanding of these fundamental concepts?

Importance of Equivalent Sets, One-to-One Correspondence, Equal Sets, and Subsets

The concept of equivalent sets is essential when comparing or grouping objects. For example, if the store owner wants to compare the number of apples sold in one store versus another, she will first ensure that the apples’ sets are equivalent. To do this, she must count both baskets and ensure they are equal (Cornaz & Jost, 2017). The elements in each set must be the same, and the sets must have the same size. Subsequently, the concept of one-to-one correspondence is important when counting objects. For example, if a teacher wants to count the number of students in her class, she must ensure each student has a name tag. In addition, the concept of one-to-one correspondence is also used by doctors when they count patients’ heartbeats or by pharmacists when they count pills.

Moreover, the concept of the equal set is vital in many situations. For example, if a person has two sets of toys and wants to know if they are the same size, he can use this concept by putting them on his table or floor side-by-side. If the sets do not match up, one set has more items than another. Besides toy sets, this concept is also used to count money (Izard, Streri & Spelke, 2018). For example, if a person has two piles of coins and wants to know if they have the same amount of money, he can use this concept by lining them up next to each other.

Students need these concepts because they are used in everyday life. They help them learn how to solve problems and make decisions. In addition, it helps them understand what is happening around them, such as when a person says, “I have three apples,” they can count the number of apples on their plate without asking someone else for help. These concepts can be used as a foundation to learn about more advanced mathematics for further learning.

References

Cornaz, D., & Jost, V. (2017). A one-to-one correspondence between colorings and stable sets. Operations Research Letters, 36(6), 673-676.

Izard, V., Streri, A., & Spelke, E. S. (2018). Toward exact number: Young children use one-to-one correspondence to measure set identity but not numerical equality. Cognitive Psychology, 72, 27-53.