What is is neither injective, surjective, and bijective?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on identifying and understanding mappings that are neither injective, surjective, nor bijective. Participants explore definitions, examples, and the importance of specifying domains and codomains in relation to these properties.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants inquire whether the focus is on terminology for such mappings or examples of them.
  • One participant explains that a mapping must be both injective and surjective to be bijective, providing criteria for these properties.
  • A specific example is given: the function defined by f(x) = x^2 is neither injective nor surjective, as it maps both x and -x to the same value and does not produce negative outputs.
  • Another participant emphasizes the necessity of clearly stating the domain and codomain to accurately assess a function's properties, noting that restricting the domain can change the function to a bijection.
  • Participants acknowledge the complexity of the topic and express gratitude for clarifications, indicating a collaborative effort to refine understanding.
  • One participant admits to a mistake regarding the definitions of injection and surjection, prompting further discussion on these concepts.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the definitions of injective, surjective, and bijective mappings, but there are nuances in how these properties apply based on domain and codomain specifications. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best terminology and examples for mappings that do not fit these categories.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the importance of defining domains and codomains, suggesting that without this clarity, properties of functions may be misrepresented. There is also a recognition of the potential for confusion in the definitions of injection and surjection.

woundedtiger4
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As the title says.
 
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Are you asking what term we would use to describe a mapping that is neither injective, surjective, nor bijective? Or are you asking for an example of suchba mapping?
 
The criteria for bijection is that the set has to be both injective and surjective.
In case of injection for a set, for example, f:X -> Y, there will exist an origin for any given Y such that f-1:Y -> X.
In case of Surjection, there will be one and only one origin for every Y in that set. For example y = x2 is not a surjection.
 
Nugatory said:
Are you asking what term we would use to describe a mapping that is neither injective, surjective, nor bijective? Or are you asking for an example of suchba mapping?
Yes sir, exactly.
 
x^2 + y^2 = 1
 
To be more precise, as nuuskur pointed out, the function ## f : \mathbb R \rightarrow \mathbb R ## defined by ## f(x)= x^2 ## is neither injective nor surjective; f(x)=f(-x) , and no negative number is the image of any number. You need to clearly state your domain and codomain, otherwise every function is trivially surjective onto its image. If you changed/restricted the domain, OTOH, you can make the same _expression_ ##f(x)=x^2 ## a bijection from the positive Reals to themselves. While long-winded, the point is that you must define your domain and codomain in order to define a function and study its properties unambiguously.
 
Yes, thank you WWGD. I apologize for my lazy explanation.
 
WWGD said:
To be more precise, as nuuskur pointed out, the function ## f : \mathbb R \rightarrow \mathbb R ## defined by ## f(x)= x^2 ## is neither injective nor surjective; f(x)=f(-x) , and no negative number is the image of any number. You need to clearly state your domain and codomain, otherwise every function is trivially surjective onto its image. If you changed/restricted the domain, OTOH, you can make the same _expression_ ##f(x)=x^2 ## a bijection from the positive Reals to themselves. While long-winded, the point is that you must define your domain and codomain in order to define a function and study its properties unambiguously.
Thank you sir
 
nuuskur said:
Yes, thank you WWGD. I apologize for my lazy explanation.

Hey, no problem , we all do it at times.

woundedtiger4 said:
Thank you sir

No problem; it is the nitty-gritty, but it is necessary to do it at least once .
 
  • #10
I made a mistake. I swapped the terms. Any injection has only one origin for every Y. A surjection has at least one origin for every Y.
 

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