section_path: Subsets
section_name: Subsets
paragraph_text: Subsets
  
  If every element of set A is also in B, then A is described as being a subset of B, or contained in B, written A ⊆ B, or B ⊇ A. The latter notation may be read B contains A, B includes A, or B is a superset of A. The relationship between sets established by ⊆ is called inclusion or containment. Two sets are equal if they contain each other: A ⊆ B and B ⊆ A is equivalent to A = B.
  
  If A is a subset of B, but A is not equal to B, then A is called a proper subset of B. This can be written A ⊊ B. Likewise, B ⊋ A means B is a proper superset of A, i.e. B contains A, and is not equal to A.
  
  A third pair of operators ⊂ and ⊃ are used differently by different authors: some authors use A ⊂ B and B ⊃ A to mean A is any subset of B (and not necessarily a proper subset), while others reserve A ⊂ B and B ⊃ A for cases where A is a proper subset of B.
  
  Examples:
  
  The empty set is a subset of every set, and every set is a subset of itself: