Why is the empty set a subset of every set? [duplicate]

Question

Take for example the set $X=\{a, b\}$. I don't see $\emptyset$ anywhere in $X$, so how can it be a subset?

Answer 1

Because every single element of $\emptyset$ is also an element of $X$. Or can you name an element of $\emptyset$ that is not an element of $X$?

Answer 2

that's because there are statements that are vacuously true. $Y\subseteq X$ means for all $y\in Y$, we have $y\in X$. Now is it true that for all $y\in \emptyset $, we have $y\in X$? Yes, the statement is vacuously true, since you can't pick any $y\in\emptyset$.

Answer 3

You must start from the definition :

$Y \subseteq X$ iff $\forall x (x \in Y \rightarrow x \in X)$.

Then you "check" this definition with $\emptyset$ in place of $Y$ :

$\emptyset \subseteq X$ iff $\forall x (x \in \emptyset \rightarrow x \in X)$.

Now you must use the truth-table definition of $\rightarrow$ ; you have that :

"if $p$ is false, then $p \rightarrow q$ is true", for $q$ whatever;

so, due to the fact that :

$x \in \emptyset$

is not true, for every $x$, the above truth-definition of $\rightarrow$ gives us that :

"for all $x$, $x \in \emptyset \rightarrow x \in X$ is true", for $X$ whatever.

This is the reason why the emptyset ($\emptyset$) is a subset of every set $X$.

Answer 4

Subsets are not necessarily elements. The elements of $\{a,b\}$ are $a$ and $b$. But $\in$ and $\subseteq$ are different things.