Discrete Math.

& Linear Programming BES 114

Tutorial #4
”Relations”

1. Let A = {0, 1, 2, 3, 4} and B = {0, 1, 2, 3}. The ordered pairs in the relation R are:

(a) a = b:
R = {(0, 0), (1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3)}

(b) a + b = 4:
R = {(1, 3), (2, 2), (3, 1), (4, 0)}

(c) a > b:
R = {(1, 0), (2, 0), (2, 1), (3, 0), (3, 1), (3, 2), (4, 0), (4, 1), (4, 2), (4, 3)}

(d) a | b (i.e., a divides b):

R = {(1, 0), (1, 1), (1, 2), (1, 3), (2, 0), (2, 2), (3, 0), (3, 3), (4, 0)}

2. (a) List all the ordered pairs in the relation R = {(a, b) | a divides b} on the set {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}:

R = {(1, 1), (1, 2), (1, 3), (1, 4), (1, 5), (1, 6), (2, 2), (2, 4), (2, 6), (3, 3), (3, 6), (4, 4), (5, 5), (6, 6)}

(b) Display this relation graphically:

1 1

2 2

3 3

4 4

5 5

6 6
3. For each of these relations on the set {1, 2, 3, 4}, decide whether it is reflexive, symmetric, antisymmet-
ric, and transitive.
(a) {(2, 2), (2, 3), (2, 4), (3, 2), (3, 3), (3, 4)}
• Reflexive: No (missing (1, 1) and (4, 4)).
• Symmetric: No (e.g., (2, 4) is present but (4, 2) is not present).
• Antisymmetric: No (e.g., (2, 3) and (3, 2) both exist).
• Transitive: Yes.
(b) {(1, 1), (1, 2), (2, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3), (4, 4)}
• Reflexive: Yes (all (1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3), (4, 4) are present).
• Symmetric: Yes (for every (a, b), (b, a) is present).
• Antisymmetric: No (e.g., (1, 2) and (2, 1) both exist).
• Transitive: Yes (all required pairs for transitivity are present).
(c) {(2, 4), (4, 2)}
• Reflexive: No (missing (1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3), (4, 4)).
• Symmetric: Yes (both (2, 4) and (4, 2) are present).
• Antisymmetric: No (both (2, 4) and (4, 2) exist).
• Transitive: No (e.g., (2, 4) and (4, 2) exist but (2, 2) is not present).
(d) {(1, 2), (2, 3), (3, 4)}
• Reflexive: No (missing (1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3), (4, 4)).
• Symmetric: No (e.g., (1, 2) is present but (2, 1) is not).
• Antisymmetric: Yes (no (a, b) and (b, a) both exist unless a = b).
• Transitive: No (e.g., (1, 2) and (2, 3) exist but (1, 3) is not present).
(e) {(1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3), (4, 4)}
• Reflexive: Yes (all (1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3), (4, 4) are present).
• Symmetric: Yes (only pairs where a = b are present).
• Antisymmetric: Yes (no (a, b) and (b, a) both exist unless a = b).
• Transitive: Yes (all required pairs for transitivity are present).
(f) {(1, 3), (1, 4), (2, 3), (2, 4), (3, 1), (3, 4)}
• Reflexive: No (missing (1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3), (4, 4)).
• Symmetric: No (e.g., (1, 3) is present but (3, 1) is also present, but not all pairs are symmetric).
• Antisymmetric: No (e.g., (1, 3) and (3, 1) both exist).
• Transitive: No (e.g., (1, 3) and (3, 4) exist but (1, 4) is not explicitly required for transitivity).
4. Determine whether the relation R on the set of all real numbers is reflexive, symmetric, antisym-
metric, and/or transitive,
(a) (x, y) → R if and only if x + y = 0.
Solution:
Let (a, a) → R =↑ a + a = 0 =↑ a = 0.
=↑ Not true for all a → R.
=↑ R is not reflexive.
Let (a, b) → R =↑ a + b = 0 =↑ b + a = 0.
=↑ (b, a) → R.
=↑ R is symmetric.
Let (a, b) → R and (b, c) → R =↑ a + b = 0 and b + c = 0.
=↑ a = ↓b and c = ↓b.
=↑ a + c = ↓2b ↔= 0 unless b = 0.
=↑ R is not transitive.
 (b) (x, y) → R if and only if x = ±y.
Solution:

Let (a, a) → R =↑ a = ±a.

=↑ True, since a = a.
=↑ R is reflexive.
Let (a, b) → R =↑ a = ±b.
=↑ b = ±a, so (b, a) → R.
=↑ R is symmetric.
Let (a, b) → R and (b, c) → R =↑ a = ±b and b = ±c.
=↑ a = ±(±c) = ±c, so (a, c) → R.
=↑ R is transitive.

(c) (x, y) → R if and only if x = 2y.

Solution:

Let (a, a) → R =↑ a = 2a =↑ a = 0.
=↑ Not true for all a → R.
=↑ R is not reflexive.
Let (a, b) → R =↑ a = 2b ↔= b = 2a unless a = b = 0.
=↑ (b, a) → R only if a = b = 0.
=↑ R is not symmetric.
Let (a, b) → R and (b, c) → R =↑ a = 2b and b = 2c =↑ a = 4c.
=↑ (a, c) → R only if a = 2c (i.e., 4c = 2c =↑ c = 0).
=↑ Counterexample: (4, 2) → R and (2, 1) → R, but (4, 1) →
/ R.
=↑ R is not transitive.

(d) (x, y) → R if and only if xy = 0.

Solution:

Let (a, a) → R =↑ a2 = 0 =↑ a = 0.
=↑ Not true for all a → R.
=↑ R is not reflexive.
Let (a, b) → R =↑ ab = 0 =↑ ba = 0.
=↑ (b, a) → R.
=↑ R is symmetric.
Let (a, b) → R and (b, c) → R =↑ ab = 0 and bc = 0.
=↑ If b ↔= 0, then a = 0 and c = 0 =↑ (0, 0) → R.
=↑ If b = 0, then (a, c) → R only if ac = 0.
=↑ Counterexample: (1, 0) → R and (0, 1) → R, but (1, 1) →
/ R.
=↑ R is not transitive.

5. Determine whether the relation R on the set of all integers is reflexive, symmetric, antisymmetric,
and/or transitive, where (x, y) → R if and only if:
 (a) x ↔= y. (b) x ↗ y (mod 7). (c) x and y are both negative or
both nonnegative.

6. Show that the relation R = ↘ on a nonempty set S is symmetric and transitive, but not reflexive.
7. Which relations in items 3 and 4 are irreflexive?
Remark. A relation R on the set A is irreflexive if for every a → A, (a, a) →
/ R. That is, R is
irreflexive if no element in A is related to itself.

8. Which relations in items 3 and 4 are asymmetric?

Remark. A relation R is called asymmetric if (a, b) → R implies that (b, a) →
/ R.

9. Let R be the relation R = {(a, b) | a < b} on the set of integers. Find:

(a) R→1 (b) R

Remark. Let R be a relation from a set A to a set B. The inverse relation from B to A, denoted
by R→1 , is the set of ordered pairs {(b, a) | (a, b) → R}. The complementary relation R is the set of
ordered pairs {(a, b) | (a, b) →
/ R}.

10. Let R1 = {(1, 2), (2, 3), (3, 4)} and R2 = {(1, 1), (1, 2), (2, 1), (2, 2), (2, 3), (3, 1), (3, 2), (3, 3), (3, 4)} be
relations from {1, 2, 3} to {1, 2, 3, 4}. Find:

(a) R1 ≃ R2 (b) R1 ⇐ R2 (c) R1 ↓ R2 (d) R2 ↓ R1

11. Let R be the relation R = {(1, 2), (1, 3), (2, 3), (2, 4), (3, 1)}, and let S be the relation
S = {(2, 1), (3, 1), (3, 2), (4, 2)}. Find S ⇒ R.
Solution: We know that:

S ⇒ R = {(a, c) | ⇑b such that (a, b) → R and (b, c) → S}

(1, 2) → R ↑ (2, 1) → S ↑ (1, 1) → S ⇒ R.

(1, 3) → R ↑ (3, 1), (3, 2) → S ↑ (1, 1), (1, 2) → S ⇒ R.
(2, 3) → R ↑ (3, 1), (3, 2) → S ↑ (2, 1), (2, 2) → S ⇒ R.
(2, 4) → R ↑ (4, 2) → S ↑ (2, 2) → S ⇒ R.
(3, 1) → R ↑ (1, c) →
/ S ↑ No new pairs.

Therefore, the composition is:

S ⇒ R = {(1, 1), (1, 2), (2, 1), (2, 2)}

12. These relations on the set of real numbers:

R1 = {(a, b) → R2 | a > b}, the ”greater than” relation,

R2 = {(a, b) → R2 | a ⇓ b}, the ”greater than or equal to” relation,
R3 = {(a, b) → R2 | a < b}, the ”less than” relation,
R4 = {(a, b) → R2 | a ⇔ b}, the ”less than or equal to” relation,
R5 = {(a, b) → R2 | a = b}, the ”equal to” relation,
R6 = {(a, b) → R2 | a ↔= b}, the ”unequal to” relation.

Find
 a) R1 ≃ R3 c) R2 ⇐ R4 e) R1 ↓ R2
b) R1 ≃ R5 d) R3 ⇐ R5 f) R2 ↓ R1

13. Let R1 and R2 be the “divides” and “is a multiple of” relations on the set of all positive integers,
respectively. That is,

R1 = {(a, b) | a divides b}, R2 = {(a, b) | a is a multiple of b}.

Find:

(a) R1 ≃ R2 (c) R1 ↓ R2 (e) R1 ↖ R2

(b) R1 ⇐ R2 (d) R2 ↓ R1

14. Let R be the relation on the set {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} containing the ordered pairs

(1, 1), (1, 2), (1, 3), (2, 3), (2, 4), (3, 1), (3, 4), (3, 5), (4, 2), (4, 5), (5, 1), (5, 2), (5, 4).

Find:

(a) R2 (b) R3 (c) R4 (d) R5