CHAMPION TUTORS
Friday, 27th August, 2021.
BINARY OPERATIONS
Introduction
A binary operation is simply a rule that assigns to every pair of elements of a set S a unique element
of S. Take for example:
x*y=x+y
Find 2 * 3
You must note that the ‘*’ sign IN THIS CASE means that “you should add the two elements”
So 2*3 = 2 + 3 = 5
Types of numbers and their notation
a. Natural numbers (N) are the counting numbers. For example, N = (1, 2, 3, 4, 5,...)
b. Integers, Z or I are positive or negative whole numbers including zero
For example, Z = (..., -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3...)
c. Rational numbers, Q are numbers which can be written as a ratio of two integers, i.e in the
form of p/q where p and q are integers.
For example’ Q = { p/q } where p and q are both integers
d. Irrational numbers, Q' cannot be expressed as a ratio of two integers (i.e. as a fraction).
Examples are:
Q’ =√2, √5, √7, √10, π
e. Real numbers, R are the set of all positive or negative rational and irrational numbers
Properties of Binary Operations
There are various properties of Binary operations but only two are common in the post utme:
(a) Closure
To determine if a particular operation is closed means if you perform the operation on a given set,
the answer will always be a member of that set.
Example
Let S = {n E Z; n is even}, determine whether S is closed under
I. Addition II. Multiplication
Solution
Now it all lies in the interpretation of the symbols
The question says “S = {n E Z; n is even}”
This means that set S has elements such that n is an integer (Recall that Z represents integer) such
that n is even
So S = {2,4, 6, 8, 10... }
I. To determine whether the Set is closed under addition, pick two possible values in the
set and add them. If the set is closed, your value will be a member of the set (an even
integer)
For example, 4 and 2
4 + 2 = 6 (even)
So, S is closed under addition
II. To determine whether the Set is closed under multiplication, pick two possible values in
the set and multiply them. If the set is closed, your value will be a member of the set (an
even integer)
For example, 6 and 4
6 × 4 = 24 (even)
So, S is closed under multiplication
(b) Commutativity
A binary operation on a set S is commutative if a * b = b* a for all a, b E S. Addition and
multiplication are both commutative for all set of positive integers Z whereas subtraction and
division are not. For example:
(i) 4+7 = 7+4 (commutative)
(ii) 4-7 ≠ 7-4 (not commutative)
(iii) 3 × 2 = 2 × 3 (commutative)
(iv) 15 ÷ 3 ≠ 3 ÷ 15 (not commutative)
Example
Determine whether the binary operation below is commutative for a set of positive integers
a * b = a + b + ab
Solution
If an operation is commutative, it follows that:
a*b=b*a
But in the question above, a * b = a + b + ab
So let’s assign values to a and b, let a=5 and b=3
Recall, to be commutative, a * b = b * a
LHS
a * b = a + b + ab
5 * 3 = (5) + (3) + (5)(3) = 23
RHS
b * a = b + a + ba
3 * 5 = (3) + (5) + (3)(5) = 23
So a * b = b * a; Therefore the operation is commutative
CARRYING OUT BASIC ARITHMETIC IN BINARY OPERATIONS
Most of the times, binary operations questions in the post utme usually require that you carry out
basic arithmetic. Let’s learn how to answer such questions:
Example 1
If x * y = y – (x + 3) for any real number x and y. Determine the value of 5 * (-7)
Solution
Since the operations sign between x * y and 5 * (-7) is the same, i.e * in each case, we have x * y = 5
* (-7)
i.e x = 5 and y = -7
Therefore, y – (x + 3) = -7 – (5+3)
= -7 – 8
= -15
Example 2
Given that x * y = √xy, evaluate 18 * 32
Solution
x * y = √xy
18 * 32 = √18 × 32 = √576 = 24
Example 3
The binary operation defined on S by a ♤ b = 1 - 2ab. Determine the value of 2 ♤ -4
Solution
a ♤ b = 1 - 2ab, then
2 ♤ -4 = 1 – 2(2)(-4)
= 1 + 16
= 17
Example 4
Given that x * y = √xy, evaluate 32 * (16 * 4)
Solution
x * y = √xy
16 * 4 = √16 × 4 = √64 = 8
So 32 * (16 * 4) = 32 * 8
From x * y = √xy, we have
32 * 8 = √32 × 8 = √256 = 16
Example 5
Solution
Example 6
Two binary operations * and ♤ are defined over a set of real numbers by
x * y = xy – y – 3
x ♤ y = xy + y – 2
Find the value of 2 ♤ (3 * 4)
Solution
x * y = xy – y – 3
So, 3 * 4 = 3(4) – 4 – 3
= 12 – 4 – 3
=5
Therefore, 2 ♤ (3 * 4) = 2 ♤ 5
But, x ♤ y = xy + y – 2
Hence, 2 ♤ 5 = 2(5) + 5 – 2
= 10 + 5 – 2
= 13
