Definition
A given binary relation ~ on a set A is said to be an equivalence relation if and only if it is reflexive, symmetric and transitive. Equivalently, for all a, b and c in A:
- a ~ a. (Reflexivity)
- if a ~ b then b ~ a. (Symmetry)
- if a ~ b and b ~ c then a ~ c. (Transitivity)
A together with the relation ~ is called a setoid. The equivalence class of a under ~, denoted, is defined as .
Read more about this topic: Equivalence Relation
Famous quotes containing the word definition:
“Its a rare parent who can see his or her child clearly and objectively. At a school board meeting I attended . . . the only definition of a gifted child on which everyone in the audience could agree was mine.”
—Jane Adams (20th century)
“Scientific method is the way to truth, but it affords, even in
principle, no unique definition of truth. Any so-called pragmatic
definition of truth is doomed to failure equally.”
—Willard Van Orman Quine (b. 1908)
“... we all know the wags definition of a philanthropist: a man whose charity increases directly as the square of the distance.”
—George Eliot [Mary Ann (or Marian)