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Binary Relations

The document defines and discusses various types of binary relations including equivalence relations, partial orders, and Hasse diagrams. It provides definitions for reflexive, symmetric, transitive, antisymmetric relations as well as equivalence classes, partitions, maximal/minimal elements, and Hasse diagrams which are used to represent partially ordered sets. Key concepts covered are the properties that define equivalence relations and partial orders, and how partitions and equivalence classes are formed from an equivalence relation on a set.

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Cherie
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9 views

Binary Relations

The document defines and discusses various types of binary relations including equivalence relations, partial orders, and Hasse diagrams. It provides definitions for reflexive, symmetric, transitive, antisymmetric relations as well as equivalence classes, partitions, maximal/minimal elements, and Hasse diagrams which are used to represent partially ordered sets. Key concepts covered are the properties that define equivalence relations and partial orders, and how partitions and equivalence classes are formed from an equivalence relation on a set.

Uploaded by

Cherie
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Summary Notes on Binary Relations

1 Relations 1. Reflexivity

Definition 1.1 (Relations). A relation R on a set S 2. Symmetry


is a subset of S × S. 3. Transitivity
Definition 1.2 (Relations). Let A and B be sets. A We usually denote an equivalence relation by ∼ .
relation from A to B is a subset R of A × B. We read
(a, b) ∈ R as a is related to b and write aRb. Definition 3.2 (Pairwise Disjointness). A collection
A relation R from a set A to itself (that is, R ⊆ A×A) P of non-empty subsets of a set X is called pairwise
is referred to as a relation on A. disjoint if ∀A, B ∈ P, either A = B or A ∩ B = {}.
Definition 3.3 (Partition of a set). A partition of a
Recall: A × B = {(a, b)|a ∈ A, b ∈ B} set X is a collection of non-empty pairwise disjoint
subsets of X called cells or blocks, whose union is all
Definition 1.3 (Inverse Relation). Let R be a relation of X.
from A to B. The inverse relation of R denoted by
Definition 3.4 (Equivalence classes). Let ∼ be an
R−1 , is the relation from B to A defined by: if aRb the
equivalence relation on a set X. Let a ∈ X. The equiva-
bR−1 a that is R−1 = {(b, a) ∈ B × A|(a, b) ∈ R}.
lence class of a(that is the equivalence class containing
a), denoted by [a] or ā, is defined by [a] = {x ∈ X|x ∼
a}.
2 Properties of Relations
Lemma 3.5. If ∼ is an equivalence relation on the
Definition 2.1 (Reflexivity). A relation R on a set A set X, then x ∼ y ⇔ [x] = [y].
is called reflexive if ∀a ∈ A, aRa. That is (a, a) ∈ R.
Theorem 3.6. Let X be a non-empty set. If ∼ is an
Definition 2.2 (symmetry). A relation R on a set equivalence relation on X, then the equivalence classes
A is symmetric if ∀a, b ∈ A, aRa =⇒ bRa. That is form a partition P of X. Conversely, a partition P of
(a, b) ∈ R =⇒ (a, b) ∈ R. X gives rise to an equivalence relation on X whose
Definition 2.3 (Antisymmetry). A relation R on a equivalence classes are the cells in P.
set A is antisymmetric if ∀a, b ∈ A, aRb and bRa =⇒
a = b.
4 Ordering Relation
Recall: To prove that two sets A and B are Definition 4.1 (Partial Ordering Relation or Partial
equal, one must establish the set inclusions A ⊆ Order). A relation R on a set A is called a partial
B and B ⊆ A. ordering relation or partial order if it satisfies:

Remark 2.4. An antisymmetry is not the same as not • Reflexivity


symmetric. For instance, consider the relation R = • Antisymmetry
{(1, 2), (2, 3), (3, 3), (2, 1)} on the set A = {1, 2, 3}. R
is not symmetric since 2R3 but (3, 2) ∈ / R. R is not • Transitivity
antisymmetric since 1R2 and 2R1 but 1 ̸= 2. We shall denote partial order by ≤ and if a ≤ b but
Definition 2.5 (Transitivity). A relation R on a set a ̸= b we use a < b.
A is transitive if ∀a, b, c ∈ A, aRb and bRc =⇒ aRc. Definition 4.2 (Partially Ordered Set or Poset). A
non-empty set P with a partial order ≤ defined on it
is called a partially ordered set or poset, denoted by
3 Equivalence Relation (P, ≤).
Definition 3.1 (Equivalence Relation). A relation R Definition 4.3 (Comparable Elements). If (A, ≤) is a
on a set A is called an equivalence relation if it satisfies poset, elements a and b of A are said to be comparable
if and only if either a ≤ b or b ≤ a. If a ≰ b and
b ≰ a, then a and b are not comparable.
Definition 4.4 (Total Order). If ≤ is a partial order
on a set A and every two elements of A are comparable,
then ≤ is called a total order. The pair (A, ≤) is called
a totally ordered set.

5 Hasse Diagram
Definition 5.1 (Hasse Diagram). A Hasse diagram is
a diagramatic representation of a partially ordered set.
In the Hasse diagram of a poset (A, ≤),
• a dot (or vertex) is associated with each element
of A.
• if a ≤ b, then the dot for b is positioned higher
than the dot for a.
• if a < b and ∄c ∈ A such that a < b < c, then a
line is drawn from a to b. In this case we say that
the element b covers a. An element m is said to
cover an element n ∈ A if n ≤ m and there is no
element x ∈ A such that n ≤ x ≤ m.
Definition 5.2 (Maximum/ Minimum Element). An
element a of a poset (A, ≤) is maximum if and only if
b ≤ a for all b ∈ A. It is a minimum if and only if
a ≤ b for all b ∈ A.
Definition 5.3 (Maximal/ Minimal Elelment). An el-
ement a of a poset (A, ≤) is maximal if and only if,
if b ∈ A and a ≤ b, then b = a. It is minimal if and
only if, if b ∈ A and b ≤ a, then b = a.

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