The Venn diagram is a conceptual organizer that is used effectively in schools. It is named for John Venn who introduced it in 1880 at Cambridge University when he presented a paper on logic reasoning. Scientists and mathematicians began to use it to explain complex concepts in their fields. Schools have expanded the use of the Venn diagram to other subject areas and evidence of its use can be found in every subject taught in schools today.
In the field of math, it is defined as a pictorial representation showing interactions among sets that may share something in common. It displays information that can be read easily. A more generic definition is a pictorial or visual representation of similarities and differences between concepts. The Venn diagram uses overlapping circles to demonstrate the interactions or similarities and differences. The basic Venn diagram has two overlapping circles, but for complex comparisons, three overlapping circles may be used.
Each circle represents one concept or set of objects. The overlapping portion shows what the concepts or set of objects have in common. For example, the areas that all concepts or set of objects have in common are shown in the area designated by a1. The areas that are designated by a 2 are unique to a single concept or set of objects. In the three circle examples, the areas in 3 are common to some of the concepts or sets of objects.
