QUANTITATIVE METHODS PS1

Definitions
• A quasi-order is transitive and reflexive.

• A preorder is a complete quasi-order.

• A partial order is an antisymmetric quasi-order.

• An order is an antisymmetric pre-order.

• If R1 , . . . , Rn are orders on X, define M (R1 , . . . , Rn ) as the relation

M such that xM y iff x ̸= y and x is preferred to y by strictly more
relations among R1 , . . . , Rn .

• A tournament T is a complete and asymmetric relation (i.e., xT y ⇒

yT x).

• The top cycle tc(T) is the set of maximal elements of the transitive
closure of tournanent T in X.

• A Condorcet winner is the unique maximal element of a tournament

(if it exists).

Problems
1. Construct a quasi-order that is NOT the intersection of two pre-orders
(the set needs to have at least 5 elements).

2. Show that if X is a finite set and R is a partial order, there exists an

integer n and orders R1 , . . . , Rn on X such that R = ∩ni=1 Ri .

3. Show that if T is a tournament on a finite set X, then there exists an

integer n and orders R1 , . . . , Rn on X such that M (R1 , . . . , Rn ) = T .

4. Show that if X is finite, tc(T ) is the only non empty minimal set Y ⊆ X
with the property: xT y for all x ∈ Y and all y ∈ X\Y .

5. If T has a Condorcet winner c in X finite, then tc(T ) is the singleton

{c}.

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6. If T has no Condorcet winner in X finite, then tc(T ) is a cycle of size
at least 3.

7. Using propositional logic, show that the following statements are equiv-
alents (indeed, both statements are ways to say that X ⇐⇒ Y ):

X →Y ∧Y →X

X → Y ∧ (¬X → ¬Y )