What are fuzzy sets?

Classical sets vs fuzzy sets

Fuzzy logic is a mathematical theory model made to bridge the gap between humans and computers. Computers think about things in a mathematical and logical manner, but human beings do not. We are prone to ambiguity, so this theory allows computers to think ambiguously as well.

Human ambiguity

If we want an example of what exactly a fuzzy set looks like, we could conduct survey and gather data. Let's say we want to know what middle-aged means. If we asked 100 people when middle age starts and ends, we might end up with a definite majority, the prevalent opinion being that middle age starts at 35 and ends at 55. Therefore, we could say that people aged between 35 and 55 are considered to be middle-aged.

The classical set theory cannot process this kind of information. However, in a fuzzy set world, this is a piece of cake.