If a set A contains 3 elements and set B contains 4 elements, how many relations can be defined from set A to set B?

Model Answer & Options

Source: Extra Practice

12

2^7

2^12

4^3

Explanation

A relation from A to B is any subset of the Cartesian product A × B. The number of elements in A × B is n(A) × n(B) = 3 × 4 = 12. The number of subsets of a set with n elements is 2^n. Therefore, the number of relations is 2^12. Option A (12) is just the number of elements in the product, not the number of subsets. Option B (2^7) incorrectly adds the number of elements instead of multiplying them. Option D (4^3) is the number of functions from A to B, not relations.

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