Equivalence Relation - Definition

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:

    “It is very hard to give a just definition of love. The most we can say of it is this: that in the soul, it is a desire to rule; in the spirit, it is a sympathy; and in the body, it is but a hidden and subtle desire to possess—after many mysteries—what one loves.”
    —François, Duc De La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680)

    “One definition of man is “an intelligence served by organs.””
    —Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

    “... we all know the wag’s definition of a philanthropist: a man whose charity increases directly as the square of the distance.”
    —George Eliot [Mary Ann (or Marian)