THE LANGUAGE OF
RELATIONS AND FUNCTIONS
…continuation of speaking mathematically
Relations
The objects of mathematics may be related in various
ways.
• A set A may be said to be related to a set B if A is a subset
of B, or if A is not a subset of B, or if A and B have at least
one element in common.
• A number x may be said to be related to a number y if
x < y, or if x is a factor of y, or if x2 + y2 = 1.
Relations Notation
Let A = {0, 1, 2} and B = {1, 2, 3} and let us say that an element x in A is
related to an element y in B if, and only if, x is less than y.
We use notation x R y as a shorthand for “x is related to y.”
e.g., 0 R 1, 2 R 3, …
Use notation to represent “x is not related to y,” then
Relation as a subset of Cartesian product
Consider: A = {0, 1, 2}, B = {1, 2, 3},
an element x in A is related to an element y in B if, and only if, x is
less than y.
Consider the set of all ordered pairs whose elements are
related:
Recall: Cartesian product of A and B is a set consists of all ordered
pairs whose first element is in A and whose second element is in
B:
Relations as sets of ordered pairs
Relation can be thought of as the set of ordered pairs
whose elements are related under the given condition.
The Language of Relations and Functions
The notation for a relation R may be written symbolically as
follows:
x R y means that (x, y ) ∈ R.
The notation x y means that x is not related to y by R:
x y means that (x, y ) ∉ R.
Relation as a Subset
Let A = {1, 2} and B = {1, 2, 3} and define a relation R from A to B as
follows: Given any (x, y) ∈ A ⋅ B,
a. State explicitly which ordered pairs are in A x B and
which are in R.
b. Is 1 R 3? Is 2 R 3? Is 2 R 2?
c. What are the domain and co-domain of R?
Arrow Diagram of a Relation
Suppose R is a relation from a set A to a set B. The arrow diagram
for R is obtained as follows:
1.Represent the elements of A as points in one region and the
elements of B as points in another region.
1.For each x in A and y in B, draw an arrow from x to y if,
and only if, x is related to y by R.
Draw an arrow from x to y
if, and only if, xRy
if, and only if, (x, y) ∈ R.
Arrow Diagrams of Relations
Let A = {1, 2, 3} and B = {1, 3, 5} and define relations S and T
from A to B as follows:
For all (x, y ) ∈ A ⋅ B,
Draw arrow diagrams for S and T.
Solution
These example relations illustrate that it is possible to
have several arrows coming out of the same element
of A pointing in different directions.
Also, it is quite possible to have an element of A that
does not have an arrow coming out of it.
Functions
Functions
Properties (1) and (2) can be stated less formally as follows: A
relation F from A to B is a function if, and only if:
1. Every element of A is the first element of an ordered pair
of F.
2. No two distinct ordered pairs in F have the same first
element.
Functions and Relations on Finite Sets
Let A = {2, 4, 6} and B = {1, 3, 5}. Which of the relations R, S, and T
defined below are functions from A to B?
a. R = {(2, 5), (4, 1), (4, 3), (6, 5)}
b. For all (x, y) ∈ A ⋅ B, (x, y) ∈ S means that y = x + 1.
c. T is defined by the arrow diagram
Function Machines
Another useful way to think of a function is as a machine. Suppose f is a
function from X to Y and an input x of X is given.
Imagine f to be a machine that processes x in a certain way to produce the
output f(x). This is illustrated in Figure 1.3.1
Figure 1.3.1
Functions Defined by Formulas
The2 squaring function f from R to R is defined by the formula f (x)
= x for all real numbers x.
This means that no matter what real number input is
substituted for x, the output of f will be the square of that
number.
This idea can be represented by writing f (●)2
= ●2
. In other words,
f sends 2
each real number x to x , or, symbolically,
f : x → x . Note that the variable x is a dummy variable; any other
symbol could replace it, as long as the replacement is made
everywhere the x appears.
Functions Defined by Formulas
The successor function g from Z to Z is defined by the
formula g (n) = n + 1. Thus, no matter what integer is
substituted for n, the output of g will be that number plus
one: g (●) = ●+ 1.
In other words, g sends each integer n to n + 1, or,
symbolically, g : n → n + 1.
An example of a constant function is the function h from Q
to Z defined by the formula h (r) = 2 for all rational
numbers r.
Example 6 – Functions Defined by Formulas
This function sends each rational number r to 2. In other words, no matter what
the input, the output is always
2: h(● ) = 2 or h : r → 2.
The functions f, g, and h are represented by the function machines in Figure 1.3.2.
Figure 1.3.2
Function Machines
A relation is a subset of a Cartesian product
A function is a special kind of relation.
Function Machines
If f and g are functions from a set A to a set B, then
f = {(x, y) ∈ A × B | y = f (x)}
and
g = {(x, y) ∈ A × B | y = g (x)}.
It follows that
f equals g, written f = g,
if, and only if, f (x) = g (x) for all x in A.
Example 7 – Equality of Functions
Define f : R → R and g: R → R by the following formulas:
Does f = g?
