# The intersection of two sets is non-empty if and only if there exists a point in one set that is in the other set

This page is a stub, so it contains little or minimal information and is on a to-do list for being expanded.The message provided is:
Obvious and easy "theorem", created to make the proof of claims in Dense more applicable to other pages and thus worth covering

## Statement

Let [ilmath]A[/ilmath] and [ilmath]B[/ilmath] be sets. Then we claim:

• [ilmath](A\cap B\ne\emptyset)\iff(\exists x\in A[x\in B])[/ilmath]. As intersection is commutative, it follows that [ilmath]\iff(\exists y\in B[y\in A][/ilmath] of course, as if we applied the claim to [ilmath]B\cap A[/ilmath] instead.

## Proof

### [ilmath]\implies[/ilmath]

• Suppose [ilmath]A\cap B\ne\emptyset[/ilmath], then:
• Obviously there exists something in the intersection Caution:Trickier than it sounds
• Such a thing is in [ilmath]A[/ilmath] and in [ilmath]B[/ilmath]
• Thus there is a thing in [ilmath]A[/ilmath], thus in [ilmath]B[/ilmath].

### [ilmath]\impliedby[/ilmath]

• Suppose [ilmath]\exists x\in A[x\in B][/ilmath]
• Recall [ilmath][x\in A\cap B]\iff[x\in A\wedge x\in B][/ilmath] by definition of intersection
• We have an [ilmath]x[/ilmath] such that [ilmath]x\in A[/ilmath] and [ilmath]x\in B[/ilmath]
• Thus [ilmath]x\in A\cap B[/ilmath], as mentioned above.
• Thus [ilmath]A\cap B\ne\emptyset[/ilmath] (as if it were equal to the emptyset, there wouldn't exist any [ilmath]x[/ilmath] to be in [ilmath]A\cap B[/ilmath]!)