universal set
- noun
- /ˈjuːnɪvɜrsl sɛt/
- Specialized
- On the other hand, if you take the intersection of a set with the universal set, what is left is just the set itself.
Examples
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OK, so here we have our universal set U, our rectangle is U.
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When solving problems in mathematics, it is crucial to define the universal set U clearly, as all subsets derive from it.
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There is no universal set of legal guidelines for landlords, however, on how to protect tenants and avoid liability.
Academic text (1995) -
One of the most universal sets of standards is published by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) of the American Library Association.
Academic text (2012) -
The development of standards, which present a universal set of musical skills and concepts, is intended to minimize a random or casual approach to what is taught.
Academic text (2000) -
They are usually general in nature, focusing on a universal set of entrepreneurship skills for new business development.
Academic text (2017) -
These principles thus imply a universal hierarchy of bureaucracy and a universal set of understandings about the management of discourse parameters within that hierarchy.
Academic text (2003) -
Akabayashi justifies family-facilitated informed consent by appealing to "a form of autonomy" commensurable with the absolute principle of autonomy, part of the universal set of moral principles.
Academic text (2016) -
In set theory, the universal set U includes every element from which other sets are formed.
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The universal set S for a given problem contains all possible outcomes that can be considered.
Synonyms
All the people or things you look at when you study something
How Wide
Surface Forms
Morphology
The term is compositionally transparent: 'universal' (applying to all) modifies 'set' (a collection), so it directly conveys a set that contains all elements under consideration. Although mathematical, the adjective+noun meaning is regular and cross-linguistically comparable, so a B1 learner who knows both words can reasonably infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Universal set is like a big box that holds everything you are talking about in a problem. In Venn diagrams the rectangle around the circles shows this box, so the universal set 'contains' every element and other sets are inside it.