A Venn diagram depicts the logical links between two or more groups of items by using overlapping circles or other shapes. They frequently serve to aesthetically arrange objects, emphasising how similar and unlike the pieces are.
Venn diagrams, also known as Set diagrams or Logic diagrams, are commonly used in mathematics, statistics, logic, education, linguistics, computer science, and business. Since Venn diagrams were part of “new math” courses in the 1960s, many individuals first encountered them in school while studying math or logic. These can be basic diagrams with two or three sets of a few components, or they can become pretty intricate with six or seven sets and beyond, including 3D presentations.
They are used to consider and represent how objects connect to one another inside a specific “universe” or sector. Venn diagrams are often used in presentations and reports because they allow viewers to visualise data in straightforward and effective ways. They are linked to Euler diagrams, which vary in that they exclude sets if no items exist. Even if a set is empty, Venn diagrams demonstrate relationships.
Recognising the Venn Diagram
In the 1880s, English logician John Venn popularised the graphic. He named them after the Swiss mathematician Leonard Euler, who developed similar diagrams in the 1700s.
Clarence Lewis, an American academic philosopher and the ultimate father of conceptual pragmatism, referred to the circular portrayal as the Venn diagram in his book “A Survey of Symbolic Logic” in 1918.
Since the mid-twentieth century, Venn diagrams have been used in schools ranging from elementary school to introductory reasoning.
Venn studied and taught logic and probability theory at Cambridge University, where he created his method of illustrating set theory with diagrams.
“The Logic of Chance,” a seminal work by Venn, described the frequency theory of probability. He claimed that, contrary to common belief, the probability should be determined by the regularity with which something is projected to occur.
Venn expanded on and improved mathematician George Boole’s algebra theories in another work, Symbolic Logic. This effort aided him in the creation of the Venn diagram.
Purpose and Advantages of a Venn Diagram
To visually organise information to see the link between groups of elements, such as similarities and differences.
They can be used by students and professionals to work through the reasoning behind an idea and to represent the linkages for visual communication.
To contrast two or more options and identify what they have in common vs what could set them apart. It might be done while deciding on a critical product or service to purchase.
To tackle complex mathematical problems. Of course, this is assuming you’re a mathematician.
To analyse data sets, detect relationships, and estimate the likelihood of specific events.
To deduce the reasoning underlying statements or equations, such as Boolean logic behind a word search employing “or” and “and” statements and how they are organised.
Venn Diagram Applications
Venn diagrams are used to show how one thing is interconnected in a bigger picture, data set, universe or environment. A Venn diagram is also utilised to compare two things in the same area, differentiating the item by overlapping the similarities.
The Venn diagram represents the relation between two same items and depicts how they are different. It can be more sophisticated as well. Irrespective, the Venn diagram is a simple way to show and illustrate the concept of a particular group and how it has spread across several sectors such as logic, education, statistics, computer science, and commerce.
Venn invented the diagrams that carry his name to illustrate inclusion and exclusion relations between classes or sets. Venn diagrams are two or three crossing circles, each representing a different class and labelled with an uppercase letter. Lowercase x’s and shading denote the existence and nonexistence of some (at least one) member of a particular class, respectively.
Examples of Venn Diagram
Conclusion
A Venn diagram comprises a series of basic closed curves drawn in a plane. Lewis claims that the basic idea behind these diagrams is that classes (or sets) are represented by regions arranged so that all potential logical relationships between them may be expressed in the same picture. The diagram initially gives room for any potential class relation, and the real or given relation may later be stated by specifying that some specific region is null or not-null.”