NOTES OF AI

ARTIFICAL INTELLIGENCE
PART 4
Fuzzy Set Theory

What is Fuzzy Set ?

• The word "fuzzy" means "vagueness". Fuzziness occurs when the boundary of a piece of information is

not clear-cut.

• Fuzzy sets have been introduced by Lotfi A. Zadeh (1965) as an extension of the classical notion of set.

• Classical set theory allows the membership of the elements in the set in binary terms, a bivalent condition
- an element either belongs or does not belong to the set.

Fuzzy set theory permits the gradual assessment of the membership of elements in a set,
described with the aid of a membership function valued in the real unit interval [0, 1].

• Example:

Words like young, tall, good, or high are fuzzy.

− There is no single quantitative value which defines the term young.

− For some people, age 25 is young, and for others, age 35 is young.
− The concept young has no clean boundary.
− Age 1 is definitely young and age 100 is definitely not young;
− Age 35 has some possibility of being young and usually depends on the context in which
it is being considered. Introduction

In real world, there exists much fuzzy knowledge;

Knowledge that is vague, imprecise, uncertain, ambiguous, inexact, or probabilistic in nature.

Human thinking and reasoning frequently involve fuzzy information, originating from inherently
inexact human concepts. Humans, can give satisfactory answers, which are probably true.

However, our systems are unable to answer many questions. The reason is, most systems are
designed based upon classical set theory and two-valued logic which is unable to cope with
unreliable and incomplete information and give expert opinions.
 •

Classical Set Theory

A Set is any well defined collection of objects. An object in a set is called an element or
member of that set.

− Sets are defined by a simple statement describing whether a particular element having a certain property
belongs to that particular set.

− Classical set theory enumerates all its elements using

A = { a1 , a2 , a3 , a4 , . . . . an }

If the elements ai (i = 1, 2, 3, . . . n) of a set A are subset of universal set X, then set

A can be represented for all elements x ∈ X by its characteristic function

1 if x ∈ X µA (x)
=
0 otherwise

− A set A is well described by a function called characteristic function.

This function, defined on the universal space X, assumes :

a value of 1 for those elements x that belong to set A, and a value of 0 for
those elements x that do not belong to set A.
The notations used to express these mathematically are

Α : Χ → [0, 1]
A(x) = 1 , x is a member of A Eq.(1)
A(x) = 0 , x is not a member of A

Alternatively, the set A can be represented for all elements x ∈ X by its characteristic
function µA (x) defined as

1 if x ∈ X µA (x) =
Eq.(2) 0 otherwise

− Thus in classical set theory µA (x) has only the values 0 ('false') and 1 ('true''). Such sets are called crisp

sets.
 •
Fuzzy Set Theory

Fuzzy set theory is an extension of classical set theory where elements have varying
degrees of membership. A logic based on the two truth values, True and False, is sometimes
inadequate when describing human reasoning. Fuzzy logic uses the whole interval between 0
(false) and 1 (true) to describe human reasoning.

− A Fuzzy Set is any set that allows its members to have different degree of membership, called

membership function, in the interval [0 , 1].

− The degree of membership or truth is not same as probability; ƒ fuzzy

truth is not likelihood of some event or condition.

ƒ fuzzy truth represents membership in vaguely defined sets;

− Fuzzy logic is derived from fuzzy set theory dealing with reasoning that is approximate rather than
precisely deduced from classical predicate logic.

− Fuzzy logic is capable of handling inherently imprecise concepts.

− Fuzzy logic allows in linguistic form the set membership values to imprecise concepts like "slightly", "quite"

and "very".

− Fuzzy set theory defines Fuzzy Operators on Fuzzy Sets.

• Crisp and Non-Crisp Set

− As said before, in classical set theory, the characteristic function µA(x) of Eq.(2) has only values 0
('false') and 1 ('true'').
Such sets are crisp sets.

− For Non-crisp sets the characteristic function µA(x) can be defined.

 The characteristic function µA(x) of Eq. (2) for the crisp set is generalized for the Non-crisp

sets.
 This generalized characteristic function µA(x) of Eq.(2) is called membership function.

Such Non-crisp sets are called Fuzzy Sets.

 •
− Crisp set theory is not capable of representing descriptions and classifications in many cases; In
fact, Crisp set does not provide adequate representation for most cases.

Representation of Crisp and Non-Crisp Set

Example : Classify students for a basketball team This example

explains the grade of truth value.
- tall students qualify and not tall students do not qualify
- if students 1.8 m tall are to be qualified, then should we exclude a student
who is 1/10" less? or should we exclude a student who is 1" shorter?

■ Non-Crisp Representation to represent the notion of a tall person.

Degree or grade of truth Degree or grade of truth

Not Tall Tall Not Tall Tall

1 1

0 0
1.8 m Height x 1.8 m Height x

Crisp logic Non-crisp logic

Fig. 1 Set Representation – Degree or grade of truth

A student of height 1.79m would belong to both tall and not tall sets with a particular degree of
membership.

As the height increases the membership grade within the tall set would increase whilst the
membership grade within the not-tall set would decrease.
• Ca pturing Uncertainty

Instead of avoiding or ignoring uncertainty, Lotfi Zadeh introduced Fuzzy Set theory that captures uncertainty.

■ A fuzzy set is described by a membership function µA (x) of A. This membership function

associates to each element xσ ∈ X a number as µA (xσ ) in the closed unit interval [0, 1].

The number µA (xσ ) represents the degree of membership of xσ in A.

■ The notation used for membership function µA (x) of a fuzzy set A is
•

Α : Χ → [0, 1]

■ Each membership function maps elements of a given universal base

set X , which is itself a crisp set, into real numbers in [0, 1] .
 ■ Example

µc (x) µF (x)
1

C F
0.5

0 x

Fig. 2 Membership function of a Crisp set C and Fuzzy set F

■ In the case of Crisp Sets the members of a set are :

either out of the set, with membership of degree " 0 ", or in the set,

with membership of degree " 1 ",

Therefore, Crisp Sets ⊆ Fuzzy Sets

In other words, Crisp Sets are Special cases of Fuzzy Sets.

• Exam ples of Crisp and Non-Crisp Set

Example 1: Set of prime numbers ( a crisp set)

If we consider space X consisting of natural numbers ≤ 12 ie X = {1,

2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 }

Then, the set of prime numbers could be described as follows.

PRIME = {x contained in X | x is a prime number} = {2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 11}

Example 2: Set of SMALL ( as non-crisp set)

A Set X that consists of SMALL cannot be described; for example 1 is a member of

SMALL and 12 is not a member of SMALL.

Set A, as SMALL, has un-sharp boundaries, can be characterized by a function that assigns a
real number from the closed interval from 0 to 1 to each element x in the set X.
Fuzzy Set

A Fuzzy Set is any set that allows its members to have different degree of membership, called
membership function, in the interval [0 , 1].

• Definition of Fuzzy set

A fuzzy set A, defined in the universal space X, is a function defined in X which assumes values
in the range [0, 1].

A fuzzy set A is written as a set of pairs {x, A(x)} as

A = {{x , A(x)}} , x in the set X where x is an element of the
universal space X, and A(x) is the value of the function A for this
element.

The value A(x) is the membership grade of the element x in a fuzzy set A.

Example : Set SMALL in set X consisting of natural numbers ≤ to 12.

Assume: SMALL(1) = 1, SMALL(2) = 1, SMALL(3) = 0.9, SMALL(4) = 0.6,

SMALL(5) = 0.4, SMALL(6) = 0.3, SMALL(7) = 0.2, SMALL(8) = 0.1, SMALL(u) = 0 for u >=
9.

Then, following the notations described in the definition above :

Set SMALL = {{1, 1 }, {2, 1 }, {3, 0.9}, {4, 0.6}, {5, 0.4}, {6, 0.3}, {7, 0.2},
{8, 0.1}, {9, 0 }, {10, 0 }, {11, 0}, {12, 0}}

Note that a fuzzy set can be defined precisely by associating with each x , its grade of membership
in SMALL.

• Definition of Universal Space

Originally the universal space for fuzzy sets in fuzzy logic was defined only on the integers.
Now, the universal space for fuzzy sets and fuzzy relations is defined with three numbers.

The first two numbers specify the start and end of the universal space, and the third argument
specifies the increment between elements.
This gives the user more flexibility in choosing the universal space.
 Example : The fuzzy set of numbers, defined in the universal space
X = { xi } = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12} is presented as
SetOption [FuzzySet, UniversalSpace → {1, 12, 1}]

Fuzzy Membership

A fuzzy set A defined in the universal space X is a function defined in X which assumes values
in the range [0, 1].

A fuzzy set A is written as a set of pairs {x, A(x)}.

A = {{x , A(x)}} , x in the set X where x is an element of the
universal space X, and A(x) is the value of the function A for this
element.

The value A(x) is the degree of membership of the element x in a fuzzy set A.

The Graphic Interpretation of fuzzy membership for the fuzzy sets : Small, Prime Numbers,
Universal-space, Finite and Infinite
UniversalSpace, and Empty are illustrated in the next few slides.

• Graphic Interpretation of Fuzzy Sets SMALL

The fuzzy set SMALL of small numbers, defined in the universal space
X = { xi } = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12} is presented as
SetOption [FuzzySet, UniversalSpace → {1, 12, 1}]

The Set SMALL in set X is :

SMALL = FuzzySet {{1, 1 }, {2, 1 }, {3, 0.9}, {4, 0.6}, {5, 0.4}, {6, 0.3},
{7, 0.2}, {8, 0.1}, {9, 0 }, {10, 0 }, {11, 0}, {12, 0}}

Therefore SetSmall is represented as

SetSmall = FuzzySet [{{1,1},{2,1}, {3,0.9}, {4,0.6}, {5,0.4},{6,0.3}, {7,0.2},
{8, 0.1}, {9, 0}, {10, 0}, {11, 0}, {12, 0}} , UniversalSpace → {1, 12, 1}]

FuzzyPlot [ SMALL, AxesLable → {"X", "SMALL"}]

 SMALL
1
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0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 X
Fig Graphic Interpretation of Fuzzy Sets SMALL
• Graphic Interpretation of Fuzzy Sets PRIME Numbers
The fuzzy set PRIME numbers, defined in the universal space

X = { xi } = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12} is presented as

SetOption [FuzzySet, UniversalSpace → {1, 12, 1}]

The Set PRIME in set X is :

PRIME = FuzzySet {{1, 0}, {2, 1}, {3, 1}, {4, 0}, {5, 1}, {6, 0}, {7, 1}, {8, 0},
{9, 0}, {10, 0}, {11, 1}, {12, 0}}

Therefore SetPrime is represented as

SetPrime = FuzzySet [{{1,0},{2,1}, {3,1}, {4,0}, {5,1},{6,0}, {7,1},
{8, 0}, {9, 0}, {10, 0}, {11, 1}, {12, 0}} , UniversalSpace → {1, 12, 1}]

FuzzyPlot [ PRIME, AxesLable → {"X", "PRIME"}]

PRIME
1
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0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 X
Fig Graphic Interpretation of Fuzzy Sets PRIME

•
Graphic Interpretation of Fuzzy Sets UNIVERSALSPACE

In any application of sets or fuzzy sets theory, all sets are subsets of a fixed set called universal space or universe
of discourse denoted by X.
Universal space X as a fuzzy set is a function equal to 1 for all elements.
 The fuzzy set UNIVERSALSPACE numbers, defined in the universal space X = { xi } = {1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12} is presented as SetOption [FuzzySet, UniversalSpace → {1, 12, 1}]

The Set UNIVERSALSPACE in set X is :

UNIVERSALSPACE = FuzzySet {{1, 1}, {2, 1}, {3, 1}, {4, 1}, {5, 1}, {6, 1},
{7, 1}, {8, 1}, {9, 1}, {10, 1}, {11, 1}, {12, 1}}

Therefore SetUniversal is represented as

SetUniversal = FuzzySet [{{1,1},{2,1}, {3,1}, {4,1}, {5,1},{6,1}, {7,1},
{8, 1}, {9, 1}, {10, 1}, {11, 1}, {12, 1}} , UniversalSpace → {1, 12, 1}]

FuzzyPlot [ UNIVERSALSPACE, AxesLable → {"X", " UNIVERSAL SPACE "}]

UNIVERSAL SPACE
1
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0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 X
Fig Graphic Interpretation of Fuzzy Set UNIVERSALSPACE

• Finite and Infinite Universal Space

Universal sets can be finite or infinite.
Any universal set is finite if it consists of a specific number of different elements, that is, if in
counting the different elements of the set, the counting can come to an end, else the set is
infinite.

Examples:
1. Let N be the universal space of the days of the week.
N = {Mo, Tu, We, Th, Fr, Sa, Su}. N is finite.
2. Let M = {1, 3, 5, 7, 9, ...}. M is infinite.
3. Let L = {u | u is a lake in a city }. L is finite.

(Although it may be difficult to count the number of lakes in a city, but L is still a
finite universal set.)

• Graphic Interpretation of Fuzzy Sets EMPTY

An empty set is a set that contains only elements with a grade of membership equal to 0.
Example: Let EMPTY be a set of people, in Minnesota, older than 120.
The Empty set is also called the Null set.

The fuzzy set EMPTY , defined in the universal space

X = { xi } = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12} is presented as
SetOption [FuzzySet, UniversalSpace → {1, 12, 1}]

The Set EMPTY in set X is :

EMPTY = FuzzySet {{1, 0}, {2, 0}, {3, 0}, {4, 0}, {5, 0}, {6, 0}, {7, 0},
{8, 0}, {9, 0}, {10, 0}, {11, 0}, {12, 0}}

Therefore SetEmpty is represented as

SetEmpty = FuzzySet [{{1,0},{2,0}, {3,0}, {4,0}, {5,0},{6,0}, {7,0},
{8, 0}, {9, 0}, {10, 0}, {11, 0}, {12, 0}} , UniversalSpace → {1, 12, 1}]

FuzzyPlot [ EMPTY, AxesLable → {"X", " UNIVERSAL SPACE "}]

EMPTY
1
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Fig Graphic Interpretation of Fuzzy Set EMPTY

Fuzzy Operations

A fuzzy set operations are the operations on fuzzy sets. The fuzzy set operations are
generalization of crisp set operations. Zadeh [1965] formulated the fuzzy set theory in the terms
of standard operations: Complement, Union, Intersection, and Difference.

In this section, the graphical interpretation of the following standard fuzzy set terms and the Fuzzy
Logic operations are illustrated:

Inclusion : FuzzyInclude [VERYSMALL, SMALL]

Equality : FuzzyEQUALITY [SMALL, STILLSMALL]

 Complement : FuzzyNOTSMALL = FuzzyCompliment [Small]

Union : FuzzyUNION = [SMALL ∪ MEDIUM]

Intersection : FUZZYINTERSECTON = [SMALL ∩ MEDIUM]

• Inclusion

Let A and B be fuzzy sets defined in the same universal space X. The fuzzy set A is included in
the fuzzy set B if and only if for every x in the set X we have A(x) ≤ B(x) Example :
The fuzzy set UNIVERSALSPACE numbers, defined in the universal space X = { xi } =
{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12} is presented as SetOption [FuzzySet, UniversalSpace → {1, 12, 1}]

The fuzzy set B SMALL The Set

SMALL in set X is :

SMALL = FuzzySet {{1, 1 }, {2, 1 }, {3, 0.9}, {4, 0.6}, {5, 0.4}, {6, 0.3},
{7, 0.2}, {8, 0.1}, {9, 0 }, {10, 0 }, {11, 0}, {12, 0}}

Therefore SetSmall is represented as

SetSmall = FuzzySet [{{1,1},{2,1}, {3,0.9}, {4,0.6}, {5,0.4},{6,0.3}, {7,0.2}, {8, 0.1}, {9, 0}, {10, 0}, {11, 0},

{12, 0}} , UniversalSpace → {1, 12, 1}]

The fuzzy set A VERYSMALL The Set

VERYSMALL in set X is :
VERYSMALL = FuzzySet {{1, 1 }, {2, 0.8 }, {3, 0.7}, {4, 0.4}, {5, 0.2},
{6, 0.1}, {7, 0 }, {8, 0 }, {9, 0 }, {10, 0 }, {11, 0}, {12, 0}}

Therefore SetVerySmall is represented as

SetVerySmall = FuzzySet [{{1,1},{2,0.8}, {3,0.7}, {4,0.4}, {5,0.2},{6,0.1},
{7,0}, {8, 0}, {9, 0}, {10, 0}, {11, 0}, {12, 0}} , UniversalSpace → {1, 12, 1}]

The Fuzzy Operation : Inclusion

 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 X
Fig Graphic Interpretation of Fuzzy Inclusion
FuzzyPlot [SMALL, VERYSMALL]
• Comparability
Two fuzzy sets A and B are comparable if the condition A ⊂ B or B ⊂ A holds, ie,
if one of the fuzzy sets is a subset of the other set, they are comparable.

Two fuzzy sets A and B are incomparable If the

condition A ⊄ B or B ⊄ A holds.

Example 1:
Let A = {{a, 1}, {b, 1}, {c, 0}} and B = {{a, 1},
{b, 1}, {c, 1}}.
Then A is comparable to B, since A is a subset of B.
Example 2 :
Let C = {{a, 1}, {b, 1}, {c, 0.5}} and D = {{a, 1},
{b, 0.9}, {c, 0.6}}.
Then C and D are not comparable since
C is not a subset of D and D is
not a subset of C.

Property Related to Inclusion : for all x in the set X, if A(x) ⊂

B(x) ⊂

• Equality

Let A and B be fuzzy sets defined in the same space X. Then A and
B are equal, which is denoted X = Y if and only if for all x in the set

X, A(x) = B(x).
Example.
The fuzzy set B SMALL
SMALL = FuzzySet {{1, 1 }, {2, 1 }, {3, 0.9}, {4, 0.6}, {5, 0.4}, {6, 0.3},
{7, 0.2}, {8, 0.1}, {9, 0 }, {10, 0 }, {11, 0}, {12, 0}}

The fuzzy set A STILLSMALL

STILLSMALL = FuzzySet {{1, 1 }, {2, 1 }, {3, 0.9}, {4, 0.6}, {5, 0.4},
{6, 0.3}, {7, 0.2}, {8, 0.1}, {9, 0 }, {10, 0 }, {11, 0}, {12, 0}}
The Fuzzy Operation : Equality

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 X
Fig Graphic Interpretation of Fuzzy Equality
FuzzyPlot [SMALL, STILLSMALL]

Note : If equality A(x) = B(x) is not satisfied even for one element x in the set X, then we say that A
is not equal to B.
•
Complement

Let A be a fuzzy set defined in the space X.

Then the fuzzy set B is a complement of the fuzzy set A, if and only if, for all x in the set X,
B(x) = 1 - A(x).

The complement of the fuzzy set A is often denoted by A' or Ac or A

Fuzzy Complement : Ac(x) = 1 – A(x) Example 1.
The fuzzy set A SMALL
SMALL = FuzzySet {{1, 1 }, {2, 1 }, {3, 0.9}, {4, 0.6}, {5, 0.4}, {6, 0.3},
{7, 0.2}, {8, 0.1}, {9, 0 }, {10, 0 }, {11, 0}, {12, 0}}

The fuzzy set Ac NOTSMALL

NOTSMALL = FuzzySet {{1, 0 }, {2, 0 }, {3, 0.1}, {4, 0.4}, {5, 0.6}, {6, 0.7},
{7, 0.8}, {8, 0.9}, {9, 1 }, {10, 1 }, {11, 1}, {12, 1}}

The Fuzzy Operation : Compliment

NOTSMALL = Compliment [SMALL]
Membership Grade A Ac

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 X

Fig Graphic Interpretation of Fuzzy Compliment

FuzzyPlot [SMALL, NOTSMALL]

Example 2.

The empty set Φ and the universal set X, as fuzzy sets, are complements of one another.
Φ' = X , X' = Φ
The fuzzy set B EMPTY
Empty = FuzzySet {{1, 0 }, {2, 0 }, {3, 0}, {4, 0}, {5, 0}, {6, 0},
{7, 0}, {8, 0}, {9, 0 }, {10, 0 }, {11, 0}, {12, 0}}
The fuzzy set A UNIVERSAL
Universal = FuzzySet {{1, 1 }, {2, 1 }, {3, 1}, {4, 1}, {5, 1}, {6, 1},
{7, 1}, {8, 1}, {9, 1 }, {10, 1 }, {11, 1}, {12, 1}}

The fuzzy operation : Compliment

EMPTY = Compliment [UNIVERSALSPACE]

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 X
Fig Graphic Interpretation of Fuzzy Compliment FuzzyPlot [EMPTY,
UNIVERSALSPACE]

Union

Let A and B be fuzzy sets defined in the space X.

The union is defined as the smallest fuzzy set that contains both A and B.
The union of A and B is denoted by A ∪ B.
The following relation must be satisfied for the union operation : for all x in the set
X, (A ∪ B)(x) = Max (A(x), B(x)).

Fuzzy Union : (A ∪ B)(x) = max [A(x), B(x)] for all x ∈ X

Example 1 : Union of Fuzzy A and B

A(x) = 0.6 and B(x) = 0.4 ∴ (A ∪ B)(x) = max [0.6, 0.4] = 0.6

Example 2 : Union of SMALL and MEDIUM

The fuzzy set A SMALL
SMALL = FuzzySet {{1, 1 }, {2, 1 }, {3, 0.9}, {4, 0.6}, {5, 0.4}, {6, 0.3},
{7, 0.2}, {8, 0.1}, {9, 0 }, {10, 0 }, {11, 0}, {12, 0}}

The fuzzy set B MEDIUM

MEDIUM = FuzzySet {{1, 0 }, {2, 0 }, {3, 0}, {4, 0.2}, {5, 0.5}, {6, 0.8},
•
{7, 1}, {8, 1}, {9, 0.7 }, {10, 0.4 }, {11, 0.1}, {12, 0}}

The fuzzy operation : Union

FUZZYUNION = [SMALL ∪ MEDIUM]
SetSmallUNIONMedium = FuzzySet [{{1,1},{2,1}, {3,0.9}, {4,0.6}, {5,0.5},
{6,0.8}, {7,1}, {8, 1}, {9, 0.7}, {10, 0.4}, {11, 0.1}, {12, 0}} ,
UniversalSpace → {1, 12, 1}]
Membership Grade FUZZYUNION = [SMALL ∪ MEDIUM]

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0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 X Fig Graphic
Interpretation of Fuzzy Union
FuzzyPlot [UNION]

The notion of the union is closely related to that of the connective "or".
Let A is a class of "Young" men, B is a class of "Bald" men.
If "David is Young" or "David is Bald," then David is associated with the union of A and B.
Implies David is a member of A ∪ B.
•
Intersection

Let A and B be fuzzy sets defined in the space X. Intersection is defined as the greatest fuzzy
set that include both A and B. Intersection of A and B is denoted by A ∩ B. The following
relation must be satisfied for the intersection operation : for all x in the set X, (A ∩ B)(x) =
Min (A(x), B(x)).
Fuzzy Intersection : (A ∩ B)(x) = min [A(x), B(x)] for all x ∈ X

Example 1 : Intersection of Fuzzy A and B

A(x) = 0.6 and B(x) = 0.4 ∴ (A ∩ B)(x) = min [0.6, 0.4] = 0.4

Example 2 : Union of SMALL and MEDIUM

The fuzzy set A SMALL

SMALL = FuzzySet {{1, 1 }, {2, 1 }, {3, 0.9}, {4, 0.6}, {5, 0.4}, {6, 0.3}, {7, 0.2},
{8, 0.1}, {9, 0 }, {10, 0 }, {11, 0}, {12, 0}}
The fuzzy set B MEDIUM
MEDIUM = FuzzySet {{1, 0 }, {2, 0 }, {3, 0}, {4, 0.2}, {5, 0.5}, {6, 0.8},
{7, 1}, {8, 1}, {9, 0.7 }, {10, 0.4 }, {11, 0.1}, {12, 0}}

The fuzzy operation : Intersection

FUZZYINTERSECTION = min [SMALL ∩ MEDIUM]
SetSmallINTERSECTIONMedium = FuzzySet [{{1,0},{2,0}, {3,0}, {4,0.2},
{5,0.4}, {6,0.3}, {7,0.2}, {8, 0.1}, {9, 0},
{10, 0}, {11, 0}, {12, 0}} , UniversalSpace → {1, 12, 1}]

Membership Grade FUZZYINTERSECTON = [SMALL ∩ MEDIUM]

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Fig Graphic Interpretation of Fuzzy Union
FuzzyPlot [INTERSECTION]
•

Difference

Let A and B be fuzzy sets defined in the space X.

The difference of A and B is denoted by A ∩ B'.
Fuzzy Difference : (A - B)(x) = min [A(x), 1- B(x)] for all x ∈ X
Example : Difference of MEDIUM and SMALL

The fuzzy set A MEDIUM

MEDIUM = FuzzySet {{1, 0 }, {2, 0 }, {3, 0}, {4, 0.2}, {5, 0.5}, {6, 0.8},
{7, 1}, {8, 1}, {9, 0.7 }, {10, 0.4 }, {11, 0.1}, {12, 0}}

The fuzzy set B SMALL

MEDIUM = FuzzySet {{1, 1 }, {2, 1 }, {3, 0.9}, {4, 0.6}, {5, 0.4}, {6, 0.3},
{7, 0.2}, {8, 0.1}, {9, 0.7 }, {10, 0.4 }, {11, 0}, {12, 0}}
Fuzzy Complement : Bc(x) = 1 – B(x)
The fuzzy set Bc NOTSMALL
NOTSMALL = FuzzySet {{1, 0 }, {2, 0 }, {3, 0.1}, {4, 0.4}, {5, 0.6}, {6, 0.7},
{7, 0.8}, {8, 0.9}, {9, 1 }, {10, 1 }, {11, 1}, {12, 1}}

The fuzzy operation : Difference by the definition of Difference

FUZZYDIFFERENCE = [MEDIUM ∩ SMALL']
SetMediumDIFFERECESmall = FuzzySet [{{1,0},{2,0}, {3,0}, {4,0.2},
{5,0.5}, {6,0.7}, {7,0.8}, {8, 0.9}, {9, 0.7},
{10, 0.4}, {11, 0.1}, {12, 0}} , UniversalSpace → {1, 12, 1}]

Membership Grade FUZZYDIFFERENCE = [MEDIUM ∪ SMALL' ]

.8
.6
.4
.2
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 X
Fig Graphic Interpretation of Fuzzy Union
FuzzyPlot [UNION]
 Fuzzy Properties

Properties related to Union, Intersection, Differences are illustrated below.

•
Properties Related to Union
The properties related to union are :
Identity, Idempotence, Commutativity and Associativity.

■ Identity: A∪Φ =A
input = Equality [SMALL ∪ EMPTY , SMALL] output = True

A∪X=X
input = Equality [SMALL ∪ UnivrsalSpace , UnivrsalSpace] output =
True

■ Idempotence :

A∪A=A
input = Equality [SMALL ∪ SMALL , SMALL] output = True

■ Commutativity :

A∪B =B∪A
input = Equality [SMALL ∪ MEDIUM, MEDIUM ∪ SMALL] output = True
■ Associativity:

A ∪ (B∪ C) = (A∪ B) ∪ C

input = Equality [Small ∪ (Medium ∪ Big) , (Small ∪ Medium) ∪ Big] output = True
Fuzzy Set Small , Medium , Big

Small = FuzzySet {{1, 1 }, {2, 1 }, {3, 0.9}, {4, 0.6}, {5, 0.4}, {6, 0.3},
{7, 0.2}, {8, 0.1}, {9, 0.7 }, {10, 0.4 }, {11, 0}, {12, 0}}

Medium = FuzzySet {{1, 0 }, {2, 0 }, {3, 0}, {4, 0.2}, {5, 0.5}, {6, 0.8},
{7, 1}, {8, 1}, {9, 0 }, {10, 0 }, {11, 0.1}, {12, 0}}

Big = FuzzySet [{{1,0}, {2,0}, {3,0}, {4,0}, {5,0}, {6,0.1}, {7,0.2}, {8,0.4},
{9,0.6}, {10,0.8}, {11,1}, {12,1}}]

Calculate Fuzzy relations :

(1) Medium ∪ Big = FuzzySet [{1,0},{2,0}, {3,0}, {4,0.2}, {5,0.5},

{6,0.8},{7,1}, {8, 1}, {9, 0.6}, {10, 0.8}, {11, 1}, {12, 1}]

(2) Small ∪ Medium = FuzzySet [{1,1},{2,1}, {3,0.9}, {4,0.6}, {5,0.5},

{6,0.8}, {7,1}, {8, 1}, {9, 0.7}, {10, 0.4}, {11, 0.1}, {12, 0}]

(3) Small ∪ (Medium ∪ Big) = FuzzySet [{1,1},{2,1}, {3,0.9}, {4,0.6}, {5,0.5}, {6,0.8}, {7,1},
{8, 1}, {9, 0.7}, {10, 0.8}, {11, 1}, {12, 1}]

(4) (Small ∪ Medium) ∪ Big] = FuzzySet [{1,1},{2,1}, {3,0.9}, {4,0.6},

{5,0.5}, {6,0.8}, {7,1}, {8, 1}, {9, 0.7},{10, 0.8}, {11, 1},{12, 1}]

Fuzzy set (3) and (4) proves Associativity relation

•
Properties Related to Intersection

Absorption, Identity, Idempotence, Commutativity, Associativity.

■ Absorption by Empty Set :

A∩Φ =Φ
input = Equality [Small ∩ Empty , Empty] output = True

■ Identity :

A∩ X=A
input = Equality [Small ∩ UnivrsalSpace , Small] output = True
■ Idempotence :

A∩ A=A
input = Equality [Small ∩ Small , Small] output = True
■ Commutativity :

A∩ B=B∩ A
input = Equality [Small ∩ Big , Big ∩ Small] output = True

■ Associativity :

A ∩ (B ∩ C) = (A ∩ B) ∩ C
input = Equality [Small ∩ (Medium ∩ Big), (Small ∩ Medium) ∩ Big] output = True
•
Add itional Properties

Related to Intersection and Union

■ Distributivity:

A ∩ (B ∪ C) = (A ∩ B) ∪ (A ∩ C) input = Equality
[Small ∩ (Medium ∪ Big) ,
(Small ∩ Medium) ∪ (Small ∩ Big)] output = True

■ Distributivity:

A ∪ (B ∩ C) = (A ∪ B) ∩ (A ∪ C) input = Equality
[Small ∪ (Medium ∩ Big) ,
 (Small ∪ Medium) ∩ (Small ∪ Big)] output = True

■ Law of excluded middle :

A ∪ A' = X
input = Equality [Small ∪ NotSmall , UnivrsalSpace ] output = True
■ Law of contradiction A ∩ A' = Φ input = Equality [Small ∩
NotSmall , EmptySpace ]

output = True
•
Cartesian Product Of Two Fuzzy Sets

■
Cartesian Product of two Crisp Sets
Let A and B be two crisp sets in the universe of discourse X and Y..
The Cartesian product of A and B is denoted by A x B
Defined as A x B = { (a , b) │ a ∈ A , b ∈ B }
Note : Generally A x B ≠ B x A
Example : Graphic representation of A x B
B
Let A = {a, b, c} and B = {1, 2} then A x B
2
= { (a , 1) , (a , 2) ,
(b , 1) , (b , 2) , 1

(c , 1) , (c , 2) } A
a b c

■
Cartesian product of two Fuzzy Sets
Let A and B be two fuzzy sets in the universe of discourse X and Y.
The Cartesian product of A and B is denoted by A x B
Defined by their membership function µ A (x) and µ B (y) as

µ A x B (x , y) = min [ µ A (x) , µ B (y) ] = µ A (x) ∧ µ B (y) or µ A x B (x , y)

= µ A (x) µ B (y) for all x ∈ X and y ∈ Y

Thus the Cartesian product A x B is a fuzzy set of ordered pair (x , y) for all x ∈ X
and y ∈ Y, with grade membership of (x , y) in X x Y given by the above equations .
In a sense Cartesian product of two Fuzzy sets is a Fuzzy Relation.
 Fuzzy Relations

Fuzzy Relations describe the degree of association of the elements; Example : “x is

approximately equal to y”.

− Fuzzy relations offer the capability to capture the uncertainty and vagueness in relations between
sets and elements of a set.

− Fuzzy Relations make the description of a concept possible.

− Fuzzy Relations were introduced to supersede classical crisp relations; It describes the total
presence or absence of association of elements.

In this section, first the fuzzy relation is defined and then expressing fuzzy relations in terms of
matrices and graphical visualizations. Later the properties of fuzzy relations and operations that can
be performed with fuzzy relations are illustrated.

3.1 Definition of Fuzzy Relation

Fuzzy relation is a generalization of the definition of fuzzy set from 2-D space to 3-D
space.

• Fuzzy relation definition

Consider a Cartesian product

A x B = { (x , y) | x ∈ A, y ∈ B } where A and B are subsets of

universal sets U1 and U2.

Fuzzy relation on A x B is denoted by R or R(x , y) is defined as the set

R = { ((x , y) , µR (x , y)) | (x , y) ∈ A x B , µR (x , y) ∈ [0,1] } where µR (x , y) is a function in

two variables called membership function.

− It gives the degree of membership of the ordered pair (x , y) in R associating with each pair
(x , y) in A x B a real number in the interval [0 , 1].

− The degree of membership indicates the degree to which x is in relation to y.

• Example of Fuzzy Relation

R = { ((x1 , y1) , 0)) , ((x1 , y2) , 0.1)) , ((x1 , y3) , 0.2)) ,
((x2 , y1) , 0.7)) , ((x2 , y2) , 0.2)) , ((x2 , y3) , 0.3)) ,
((x3 , y1) , 1)) , ((x3 , y2) , 0.6)) , ((x3 , y3) , 0.2)) , The relation can be written
in matrix form as

yx y1 Y2 Y3

R x1 0 0.1 0.2
X2 0.7 0.2 0.3
X3 1 0.6 0.2

where symbol means ' is defined as' and the values in the matrix are the
values of membership function:

µR (x1 , y1) = 0 µR (x1 , y2) = 0.1 µR (x1 , y3) = 0.2

µR (x2 , y1) = 0.7 µR (x2, y2) = 0.2 µR (x2 , y3) = 0.3
µR (x3 , y1) = 1 µR (x3 , y2) = 0.6 µR (x3 , y3) = 0.2

Assuming x1 = 1 , x2 = 2 , x3 = 3 and y1 = 1 , y2= 2 , y3= 3 , the relation can be graphically

represented by points in 3-D space (X, Y, µ) as :

1 µ
.8 Note : Since the values of the
.6
.4
.2
membership function 0.7, 1, 0.6
1 2 3
0
are in the direction of x below the
1

2 y major diagonal (0, 0.2, 0.2) in the

3
x
matrix are grater than those

0.1, 0.2, 0.3 in the direction of y,

we therefore say that the relation

R describes x is grater than y.

 Fig Fuzzy Relation R describing x greater
than y

Forming Fuzzy Relations

Assume that V and W are two collections of objects.

A fuzzy relation is characterized in the same way as it is in a fuzzy set.

− The first item is a list containing element and membership grade pairs, {{v1, w1}, R11},
{{ v1, w2}, R12}, ... , {{ vn, wm}, Rnm}}.
where { v1, w1}, { v1, w2}, ... , { vn, wm} are the elements of the relation are defined as ordered pairs,
and { R11 , R12 , ... , Rnm} are the membership grades of the elements of the relation that range from
0 to 1, inclusive.
− The second item is the universal space; for relations, the universal space consists of a pair of

ordered pairs, {{ Vmin, Vmax, C1}, { Wmin, Wmax, C2}}.

where the first pair defines the universal space for the first set and the second pair defines the
universal space for the second set. Example showing how fuzzy relations are represented
Let V = {1, 2, 3} and W = {1, 2, 3, 4}.
A fuzzy relation R is, a function defined in the space V x W, which takes values from the
interval [0, 1] , expressed as R : V x W → [0, 1]
R = FuzzyRelation [{{{1, 1}, 1}, {{1, 2}, 0.2}, {{1, 3}, 0.7}, {{1, 4}, 0},
{{2, 1}, 0.7}, {{2, 2}, 1}, {{2, 3}, 0.4}, {{2, 4}, 0.8}, {{3, 1}, 0},
{{3, 2}, 0.6}, {{3, 3}, 0.3}, {{3, 4}, 0.5},
UniversalSpace → {{1, 3, 1}, {1, 4, 1}}]

This relation can be represented in the following two forms shown below Membership matrix
form Graph form
1
µ
.8

w v w1 w2 w3 w4 .6
.4

v1 1 0.2 0.7 0 .2
R 1 2 3 4 w
v2 0.7 1 0.4 0.8 0
v3 0 0.6 0.3 0.5
1

2
3

v
Vertical lines represent membership grades
Elements of fuzzy relation are ordered pairs {vi , wj}, where vi is first and wj is second element. The

membership grades of the elements are represented by the heights of the vertical lines.
 Projections of Fuzzy Relations

Definition : A fuzzy relation on A x B is denoted by R or R(x , y) is defined as the set

R = { ((x , y) , µR (x , y)) | (x , y) ∈ A x B , µR (x , y) ∈ [0,1] } where µR (x , y) is a function
in two variables called membership function. The first, the second and the total projections
of fuzzy relations are stated below.

•
First Projection of R : defined as

R(1) = {(x) , µ R(1) (x , y))} = {(x) , max µ R (x , y)) |

(x , y) ∈AxB}
Y

•
Second Projection of R : defined as

R(2) = {(y) , µ R(2) (x , y))} = {(y) , max µ R (x , y)) | (x

, y) ∈AxB}
X

•
Total Projection of R : defined as
max
R(T) = max {µ R (x , y) | (x , y) ∈AxB}
X Y

max
Note : In all these three expression means max with respect to y while x
is considered fixed Y

max means max with respect to x while y is considered fixed

X

The Total Projection is also known as Global projection

•
Example : Fuzzy Projections

The Fuzzy Relation R together with First, Second and Total Projection of R are shown
below.
yx y1 y2 y3 y4 Y5 R(1)

x1 0.1 0.3 1 0.5 0.3 1

x2 0.2 0.5 0.7 0.9 0.6 0.9
R
x3 0.3 0.6 1 0.8 0.2 1

R(2) 0.3 0.6 1 0.9 0.6 1 = R(T)

Note :

For R(1) select ma x means max with respect to y while x is considered fixed Y

For R(2) select ma x means max with respect to x while y is considered fixed x

For R(T) select max with respect to R(1) and R(2)

The Fuzzy plot of these projections are shown below.

R(1)
1
.8
.6
.4
.2

0 x
1 2 3 4 5
 R(2)
1
.8
.6
.4
.2

0 y
1 2 3 4 5

Fig Fuzzy plot of 1st projection R(1) Fig Fuzzy plot of 2nd projection R(2)

Max-Min and Min-Max Composition

The operation composition combines the fuzzy relations in different variables, say (x , y) and
(y , z) ; x ∈ A , y ∈ B , z ∈ C .
Consider the relations :
R1(x , y) = { ((x , y) , µR1 (x , y)) | (x , y) ∈ A x B }
R2(y , z) = { ((y , y) , µR1 (y , z)) | (y , z) ∈ B x C }
The domain of R1 is A x B and the domain of R2 is B x C

•
Max-Min Composition

Definition : The Max-Min composition denoted by R1 ο R2 with membership function µ R1 ο

R2 defined as R1 ο R2 = { ((x , z) , (max min (µR1 (x , y) , µR2 (y , z))))} ,
Y
(x , z) ∈AxC, y∈B

Thus R1 ο R2 is relation in the domain A x C

An example of the composition is shown in the next slide.

•
Example : Max-Min Composition

Consider the relations R1(x , y) and R2(y , z) as given below.

zy z1 z2 z3
yx y1 y2 y3
y1 0.8 0.2 0
x1 0.1 0.3 0
y2 0.2 1 0.6
R1 R2 x2 0.8 1 0.3
y3 0.5 0 0.4

Note : Number of columns in the first table and second table are equal.

Compute max-min composition denoted by R1 ο R2 :

Step -1 Compute min operation (definition in previous slide).

Consider row x1 and column z1 , means the pair (x1 , z1) for all yj , j = 1, 2, 3, and perform
min operation

min (µR1 (x1 , y1) , µR2 (y1 , z1)) = min (0.1, 0.8) = 0.1, min (µR1 (x1 , y2) ,

µR2 (y2 , z1)) = min (0.3, 0.2) = 0.2, min (µR1 (x1 , y3) , µR2 (y3 , z1)) = min ( 0,
0.5) = 0,
Step -2 Compute max operation (definition in previous slide).

For x = x1 , z = z1 , y = yj , j = 1, 2, 3,
Calculate the grade membership of the pair (x1 , z1) as { (x1 , z1) , max (

(min (0.1, 0.8), min (0.3, 0.2), min (0, 0.5) )

 i.e. { (x1 , z1) , max(0.1, 0.2, 0) }

i.e. { (x1 , z1) , 0.2 }

Hence the grade membership of the pair (x1 , z1) is 0.2 .

Similarly, find all the grade membership of the pairs (x1 , z2) , (x1 ,

z3) , (x2 , z1) , (x2 , z2) , (x2 , z3)

The final result is

zx z1 z2 z3

R1 ο R2 = 0.1 0.3 0
x1
x2 0.8 1 0.3

Note : If tables R1 and R2 are considered as matrices, the operation composition resembles the
operation multiplication in matrix calculus linking row by columns. After each cell is occupied
max-min value (the product is replaced by min, the sum is replaced by max).

• Example : Min-Max Composition

The min-max composition is similar to max-min composition with the difference that the roll
of max and min are interchanged.

Definition : The max-min composition denoted by R1 R2 with membership function µ R1 R2

min
is defined by R1 R2 = { ((x , z) , (max (µR1 (x , y) , µR2 (y , z))))} , y

(x , z) ∈ AxC, y∈B

Thus R1 R2 is relation in the domain A x C

Consider the relations R1(x , y) and R2(y , z) as given by the same relation of previous example
of max-min composition, that is
 yx y1 y2 y3 zy z1 z2 z3

x1 0.1 0.3 0 y1 0.8 0.2 0

R1 R2
x2 0.8 1 0.3 y2 0.2 1 0.6
y3 0.5 0 0.4

After computation in similar way as done in the case of max-min composition, the final
result is

zx z1 z2 z3

R1 R2 = x1 0.3 0 0.1
x2 0.5 0.4 0.4

• Relation between Max-Min and Min-Max Compositions

The Max-Min and Min-Max Compositions are related by the formula

R1 ο R2 = R1 R2