Sets and Relations
     
     
    Relations
      The Cartesian product
      The domain and the range
      Function
      Relation on a set 
      Reflexive, symmetric, transitive and equivalent relation
  Relations
The Cartesian product of two sets X and Y, denoted X × Y, is the set of all possible ordered pairs (x, y) where x is a member of X and y is a member of Y:
X × Y = { (x, y)  |  x Î X and y Î Y }
A relation R from X to Y is a subset of the Cartesian product X × Y. The notations (x, y) is an element of R and x R y (x is in relation to y) are equivalent. Formally, any set of ordered pairs which defines a relation between the first member of each pair and its corresponding second member.
The domain of a relation R is the set of all the first components of the ordered pairs that constitute the  relation. The range of R is the set of all the second components of every ordered pair in R.
If each first member of a relation is associated with only one second member, the relation is a function.
 Example:   Given is set S = {1, 3, 5, 7, 9} and relations on S:
R1 = {(1, 3), (3, 5), (5, 1), (3, 7), (7, 9), (9, 1)},
R2 = {(1, 1), (3, 3), (5, 5), (7, 7), (9, 1)},
R3 = {(1, 5), (3, 7), (7, 1), (9, 5), (1, 1)},
R4 = {S × S}.
Which of these relations is function from S to S ?
Solution:  A binary relation R, a subset of the Cartesian product A × B, is said to be a function from A to B if for each x Î A there is exactly one y Î B, such that the pair (x, y) is in subset R. The set A is called the domain of the function, and the set B is called the codomain of the function. Thus,
                 R2 = {(1, 1), (3, 3), (5, 5), (7, 7), (9, 1)} is the function from S to S.                  
Relation on a Set 
Let X be the given set, then a relation R on X is a subset of the Cartesian product of X with itself, i.e., X × X.
A relation R on X is said to be reflexive if x R x for every x Î X.
A relation R on X is symmetric if x R y implies that y R x.
A relation R on X is transitive if x R y and y R z imply that x R z.
An equivalence relation is relation on set X that is reflexive, symmetric and transitive.
 Example:   Supplement the relation R = {(1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 2), (4, 1)}, defined on the set S = {1, 2, 3, 4},
with minimal number of elements of the product set S × S such that the relation becomes symmetric.
Solution: The given relation should be supplemented with pairs (1, 4) and (2, 3).
The relation R = {(1, 1), (1, 4), (2, 2), (2, 3), (3, 2), (4, 1)} is symmetric (in relation to the main diagonal).
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