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:

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

    Was man made stupid to see his own stupidity?
    Is God by definition indifferent, beyond us all?
    Is the eternal truth man’s fighting soul
    Wherein the Beast ravens in its own avidity?
    Richard Eberhart (b. 1904)

    ... 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)