Discrete

Mathematics

Relations #2
Outlines
 Closures of Relations
 Reflexive closure
 Symmetric closure
 Transitive closure
 Equivalence Relations
 Partial Orderings Relations
 Closures of Relations
1.(Reflexive closure of R on A)
Rr=the smallest reflexive relation containing R.
Rr=R ∪{ (a, a) | aA , (a, a)R}
2.(Symmetric closure of R on A)
Rs=the smallest symmetric relation containing R.
Rs=R ∪{ (b, a) | (a, b)R and (b, a) R}
3.(Transitive closure of R on A)
Rt=the smallest transitive relation containing R.
Rt=R∪{(a, c) | (a, b)Rt and (b, c)Rt, but (a, c)Rt}(repeat)
Note. There is no antisymmetric closure
Reflexive closure
Example :
The relation R={(1,1), (1,2), (2,1), (3,2)} on the set A=
{1, 2, 3} is not reflexive.
Q: How to construct a smallest reflexive relation Rr s
uch that R Rr ?
Sol: Let Rr = R  {(2,2), (3,3)}.
i. e., Rr = R  D, where D={(a, a)| a  A}.
Rr is a reflexive relation containing R that is as small
as possible. It is called the reflexive closure of R.
Symmetric closure
Example :
The relation R={ (1,1),(1,2),(2,2),(2,3),(3,1),(3,2) } on
the set A={1,2,3} is not symmetric. Find a smallest
symmetric relation Rs containing R.
Solution : Let R-1={ (b, a) | (a, b)R }
Let Rs= R∪R-1={ (1,1),(1,2),(2,1),(2,2),(2,3),
(3,1),(1,3),(3,2) }

Rs is called the symmetric closure of R.

 Transitive closure
Example. Let R be a relation on a set A, where
A={1,2,3,4,5}, R={(1,2),(2,3),(3,4),(4,5)}.
What is the transitive closure Rt of R ?
Solution :
1 3 ∴Rt = R  R  R  R  R
2 3 4 5

= {(1,2),(2,3),(3,4),(4,5),
(1,3), (2,4), (3,5),
(1,4), (2,5),
5
(1,5)}

2 4
 Equivalence Relations
Definition. A relation R on a set A is called an equivalence re
lation if it is reflexive, symmetric, and transitive.

Example. : Let R be the relation on the set of integers such

that aRb if and only if a=b or a=-b. Then R is an equivalence
relation.
Example. : Which of these relations on {0, 1, 2, 3} are
equivalence relations? Determine the properties of an
equivalence relation that the others lack
a) { (0,0), (1,1), (2,2), (3,3) }
Has all the properties, thus, is an equivalence relation
b) { (0,0), (0,2), (2,0), (2,2), (2,3), (3,2), (3,3) }
Not reflexive: (1,1) is missing
Not transitive: (0,2) and (2,3) are in the relation, but not (0,3)
c) { (0,0), (1,1), (1,2), (2,1), (2,2), (3,3) }
Has all the properties, thus, is an equivalence relation
 Partial Orderings
Definition. A relation R on a set S is called a partial
ordering or partial order if it is reflexive,
antisymmetric, and transitive. A set S together with
a partial ordering R is called a partially ordered set,
or poset, and is denoted by (S, R).
Example.
Show that the “greater than or equal” () is a partial
ordering on the set of integers.
Solution :
 x  x xZ  reflexive
 If x  y and y  x then x = y.  antisymmetric
 x  y, y  z  x  z  transitive
Home Work #2
#1
Represent each of these relations on {1, 2, 3, 4} with a
matrix (with the elements of this set listed in increasing
order).
a) {(1, 2), (1, 3), (1, 4), (2, 3), (2, 4), (3, 4)}
b) {(1, 1), (1, 4), (2, 2), (3, 3), (4, 1)}
c) {(1, 2), (1, 3), (1, 4), (2, 1), (2, 3), (2, 4), (3, 1), (3, 2), (3, 4), (4,
1), (4, 2), (4, 3)}
d) {(2, 4), (3, 1), (3, 2), (3, 4)}

#2
Determine whether the relations above are reflexive,
irreflexive, symmetric, antisymmetric, and/or transitive
and AND WHY ?
#3
List the ordered pairs the relations on {1, 2, 3, 4} corresponding to these
matrices (where the rows and columns correspond to the integers listed in
increasing order).

#4
Determine whether the relations represented by the
matrices are reflexive, irreflexive, symmetric,
antisymmetric, and/or transitive AND WHY ?

#5
Draw the directed graph representing each of the relations
#6
Let R1 and R2 be relations on a set A represented by the matrices

Find the matrices that represent

a) R1 ∪ R2. b) R1 ∩ R2.
c) R2 ◦R1. d) R1 ◦R1.
#7
Let R be the relation represented by the matrix bellow :-

Find the matrices that represent

a) R 2 b) R 3 c) R 4
 #7
list the ordered pairs in the relations represented by the
directed graphs.

#8
Determine whether the relations represented
by the directed graphs shown are reflexive,
irreflexive, symmetric, antisymmetric,
asymmetric, and/or transitive. AND WHY ?
 #9
Let R be the relation on the set {0, 1, 2, 3} containing the ordered pairs (0, 1), (1,
1), (1, 2), (2, 0), (2, 2), and (3, 0). Find the
a) reflexive closure of R.
b) symmetric closure of R.

#10
Draw the directed graph of
- the reflexive closure
- the symmetric closures
of the relations with the directed graph shown bellow.
 #11
Find the transitive closures of these relations on {1, 2, 3, 4}.
a) {(1, 2), (2,1), (2,3), (3,4), (4,1)}
b) {(2, 1), (2,3), (3,1), (3,4), (4,1), (4, 3)}
c) {(1, 2), (1,3), (1,4), (2,3), (2,4), (3, 4)}
d) {(1, 1), (1,4), (2,1), (2,3), (3,1), (3, 2), (3,4), (4, 2)}

#12
Which of these relations on {0, 1, 2, 3} are equivalence
Relations? And WHY ? For the not equivalence relation, what
is/are the lacked elements to make it equivalence ?
a) {(0, 0), (1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3)}
b) {(0, 0), (0, 2), (2, 0), (2, 2), (2, 3), (3, 2), (3, 3)}
c) {(0, 0), (1, 1), (1, 2), (2, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3)}
d) {(0, 0), (1, 1), (1, 3), (2, 2), (2, 3), (3, 1), (3, 2), (3, 3)}
e) {(0, 0), (0, 1), (0, 2), (1, 0), (1, 1), (1, 2), (2, 0),(2, 2), (3, 3)}
 #13
Determine whether the relation with the directed graph shown is an equivalence
relation.

#14
Determine whether the relations represented by these zero–one
matrices are equivalence relations.
 #15
Which of these relations on {0, 1, 2, 3} are partial orderings? ? And WHY ?
For the not partial ordering , what is/are the lacked elements to make it
partial ordering ?

a) {(0, 0), (2, 2), (3, 3)}

b) {(0, 0), (1, 1), (2, 0), (2, 2), (2, 3), (3, 3)}
c) {(0, 0), (1, 1), (1, 2), (2, 2), (3, 1), (3, 3)}
d) {(0, 0), (1, 1), (1, 2), (1, 3), (2, 0), (2, 2), (2, 3),(3, 0), (3, 3)}
e) {(0, 0), (0, 1), (0, 2), (0, 3), (1, 0), (1, 1), (1, 2),(1, 3), (2, 0), (2, 2), (3, 3)}

#16
Determine whether the relation with the directed graph shown is a partial
order.