Equivalence Relations, Cardinality and Finite Sets.

In summary, Homework Statements, Equations, and Attempt at a Solution are all related, but they are not all in the same thread.
  • #1
3=MCsq
4
0
Hey everyone, I have three problems that I'm working on that are review questions for my Math Final.

Homework Statement



First Question: Determine if R is an equivalence relation: R = {(x,y) [itex]\in[/itex] [itex]Z[/itex] x [itex]Z[/itex] | x - y =5}
and find the equivalence classes.
Is [itex]Z[/itex] | R a partition?

Homework Equations



An equivalence class R is reflexive, symmetric and transitive.

The Attempt at a Solution



First Question: So I know I have to check reflexivity, symmetricity and transitivity. It seems this relation fails the reflexivity test. Since xRx = {(x,x) -> x-x=5} and x-x ≠ 5. Since it fails, if I'm correct, can I still find equivalence classes and partitions?

Homework Statement



Second Question: Show that |[itex]Z[/itex]+ x [itex]Z[/itex] +| → |[itex]Z[/itex]+| (Where [itex]Z[/itex]+ represents all positive integers)...
by showing that [itex]Z[/itex]+ x [itex]Z[/itex]+ → [itex]Z[/itex]+ is a bijection.


Homework Equations



A function is bijective if it is one-to-one and onto.

The Attempt at a Solution



Second Question: I know that I have to show that if f(x)=f(y) then x=y but I don't know how to structure it. Also I have to show that f(x) = y [itex]\in[/itex] [itex]Z[/itex]+.

Homework Statement



Third Question: Prove that if n [itex]\in[/itex] [itex]N[/itex] , f:In → B and f is onto then B is finite and |B| < n.

Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution



Third Question: I don't even know where to begin. I'm not looking for an answer, just more of where to look, where to start..a break down of the concepts addressed in the question would be most helpful.


Thanks!
 
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  • #2
3=MCsq said:
First Question: So I know I have to check reflexivity, symmetricity and transitivity. It seems this relation fails the reflexivity test. Since xRx = {(x,x) -> x-x=5} and x-x ≠ 5. Since it fails, if I'm correct, can I still find equivalence classes and partitions?
Your example shows that this is not an equivalence relation, because it is not reflexive. So there are no equivalence classes and there is no partition. End of story.
 
  • #3
3=MCsq said:
Second Question: I know that I have to show that if f(x)=f(y) then x=y but I don't know how to structure it. Also I have to show that f(x) = y [itex]\in[/itex] [itex]Z[/itex]+.
Well, you can't show these properties of ##f## without first defining ##f##. Try to construct a function ##f : \mathbb{Z}^+ \times \mathbb{Z}^+ \rightarrow \mathbb{Z}^+## which is bijective, and then verify that it is bijective. Hint: consider a diagonal argument.
 
  • #4
3=MCsq said:
Third Question: Prove that if n [itex]\in[/itex] [itex]N[/itex] , f:In → B and f is onto then B is finite and |B| < n.
Can you clarify the notation? What does "In" refer to?

P.S. In the future, it would be better to create separate threads for each question, unless they are closely related.
 

1. What is an equivalence relation?

An equivalence relation is a mathematical relation between two objects that satisfies three properties: reflexivity, symmetry, and transitivity. This means that the relation is reflexive (every object is related to itself), symmetric (if object A is related to object B, then object B is also related to object A), and transitive (if object A is related to object B and object B is related to object C, then object A is also related to object C).

2. How is cardinality related to equivalence relations?

Cardinality is a measure of the size of a set. In the context of equivalence relations, the cardinality of a set is the number of distinct equivalence classes in that set. Equivalence classes are subsets of the original set that contain all elements that are related to each other under the equivalence relation. The cardinality of a set can also be used to determine whether two sets are equivalent, or have the same number of elements.

3. What are finite sets?

A finite set is a set that has a limited or finite number of elements. This means that the set can be counted and the number of elements in the set is a natural number. For example, a set containing the numbers 1, 2, and 3 is a finite set because it has a total of 3 elements. In contrast, a set containing all positive integers is an infinite set because it cannot be counted and there is no limit to the number of elements it contains.

4. How do you determine the cardinality of a finite set?

The cardinality of a finite set can be determined by counting the number of elements in the set. For example, if a set contains the numbers 1, 2, and 3, the cardinality of the set is 3. This can also be expressed using mathematical notation as |A| = 3, where A is the set and | | represents the cardinality.

5. Can there be different equivalence relations on the same set?

Yes, there can be multiple equivalence relations on the same set. This is because an equivalence relation is defined by its properties of reflexivity, symmetry, and transitivity, rather than the specific elements in the set. For example, the relation "has the same first letter" can be an equivalence relation on the set of all words, but so can the relation "has the same number of letters". Both relations satisfy the three properties and therefore are valid equivalence relations on the same set.

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