[Math] How to find the number of subsets of any given set that contain a particular number

elementary-set-theory

Given a set $\{1,2,…,n\}$, how would one go about finding the number of subsets that contain the number 2, for example.

Having had a play around with this myself I've got as far as realising that the number of sets that contain the number $n$ is $2^{n-1}$, but this was only through listing out the power sets of a few sets and seeing how many subsets contained the last element of the set. A messy and very unreliable method, I'm sure you'll agree.

Say if I had the set $\{1,2,3,4,5\}$ and I wanted to know how many subsets within the power set contained the element 3, would I have to list out the entire power set and risk making a fatal mistake or is there some sort of a formula that will provide me with an answer?

Best Answer

Pick out the number $2$ so you are left with the

set $\{1,3,4,...,n\}$. Now you construct all subsets of

this set and add a $2$ to each of these subsets.

As $\{1,3,4,...,n\}$ is a set of $n-1$ elements

it has in total $2^{n-1}$ subsets and by your

construction you have in total $2^{n-1}$ subsets

of $\{1,2,3,...,n\}$ that contains a $2$.

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