Solution set


In mathematics, a solution set is the set of values that satisfy a given set of equations or inequalities.
For example, for a set of polynomials over a ring,
the solution set is the subset of on which the polynomials all vanish, formally
The feasible region of a constrained optimization problem is the solution set of the constraints.

Examples

1. The solution set of the single equation is the set .
2. For any non-zero polynomial over the complex numbers in one variable, the solution set is made up of finitely many points.
3. However, for a complex polynomial in more than one variable the solution set has no isolated points.

Remarks

In algebraic geometry, solution sets are called algebraic sets if there are no inequalities. Over the reals, and with inequalities, there are called semialgebraic sets.

Other meanings

More generally, the solution set to an arbitrary collection E of relations for a collection of unknowns, supposed to take values in respective spaces, is the set S of all solutions to the relations E, where a solution is a family of values such that substituting by in the collection E makes all relations "true".
The above meaning is a special case of this one, if the set of polynomials fi if interpreted as the set of equations fi=0.

Examples