ASA ACADEMY - MATHS TUITION

Chapter 1 - Relations and Functions

Relations
Relations:-
A relation R from a non-empty set 𝐴 to a non-empty set 𝐵 is a subset of the
cartesian product 𝐴 × 𝐵. The subset is derived by describing a relationship
between the first element and the second element of the ordered pairs in
𝐴 × 𝐵. The second element is called the image of the first element.

A relation R in set A means R is a subset of 𝐴 × 𝐴.

• Domain of the Relation

The set of all the first entries of the ordered pairs in a relation R from a
set A to a set B is called the domain of the relation R.
• Range of the Relation
The set of all second entries in a relation R from a set A to a set B is called
the range of the relation R. The whole set B is called co-domain of the
relation R. Range is a subset of co-domain.

EXAMPLE
Let 𝐴 = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10}. Define a relation R from A to A by
𝑅 = {(𝑥, 𝑦): 𝑦 = 𝑥 2 + 1}. Write down the domain, co-domain and range of R.
Solution: By the definition of the relation, 𝑅 = {(1, 2), (2, 5), (3, 10)}.
Now, Domain = Set of 1st element of ordered pairs of R = {1, 2, 3}
Range = Set of 2nd elements of ordered pairs of R = {2, 5, 10}
Co-domain = Set A = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10}

• Number of Relations
Let A and B be two given non-empty finite sets having m and n elements
respectively. Then the number of possible relations that can be defined
from A to B is 2𝑚𝑛 .

Types of Relations:-
Definition Example
Empty/Void/Null Relation Let A = {2, 4, 6}, B = {7, 11}
A relation R from A to B is called an R= {(𝑎, 𝑏): 𝑎 ∈ 𝐴, 𝑏 ∈ 𝐵 𝑎𝑛𝑑 |𝑎 − 𝑏| 𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛}.
empty relation from A to B if 𝑹 = 𝝓. Here R is an empty relation.

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Universal Relation For example, Let A = {1, 2}, B = {1, 3}

A relation R from A to B is said to R = {(1, 1), (1, 3), (2, 1), (2, 3)}. Here, R=𝐴 × 𝐵 ,
be the universal relation if R = so relation R is a universal relation.
𝑨 × 𝑩.
Identity Relation
A relation R defined on a set A is For example, Let A = {1, 2, 3, 4}.
said to be an identity relation on A, Then 𝐼𝐴 = {(1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3), (4, 4)}
if 𝑹 = {(𝒂, 𝒃): 𝒂 ∈ 𝑨, 𝒃 ∈
𝑨 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 = 𝒃}. Thus, identity
relation R= {(𝒂, 𝒂) ∶ ∀𝒂 ∈ 𝑨}. The
identity relation on set A is also
denoted by 𝑰𝑨 .

• The void relations i.e.𝜙, and universal relation are respectively the
smallest and largest relations defined on the set A respectively. Also,
these are called Trivial Relations and relations other than these two
relations are called Non-Trivial Relations.
• The relations R = 𝜙 and R = A×A are the two extreme relations.

EXAMPLE
Write one example each on null, identity and universal relation for A = {1, 2, 3}
Solution:
Universal Relation: R = {(1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3), (1, 2), (2, 1), (2, 3), (3, 2), (1, 3), (3, 1)}
Identity Relation: 𝐼𝐴 = {(1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3)}
Null Relation: R = {(𝑥, 𝑦): 𝑦 = 𝑥 2 + 3, 𝑥, 𝑦 ∈ 𝐴}

• Reflexive Relation

• Symmetric Relation

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• Transitive Relation

Number of Different Types of Relations

Let R be a relation defined on set A such that n(A) = n.
2
1. Number of different possible relation on A is 2𝑛
2
2. Number of possible reflexive relations = 2𝑛 −𝑛
𝑛2 + 𝑛
( )
3. Number of possible symmetric relations = 2 2

𝑛2 +𝑛
𝑛2 ( )
4. Number of relations which are not symmetric = 2 – 2 2
𝑛2 − 𝑛
( )
5. Number of relations which are both symmetric and reflexive is 2 2

𝑛(𝑛 + 1) 2 −𝑛
6. Number of relations which are symmetric but not reflexive is 2 2 − 2𝑛
𝑛2 −𝑛
𝑛
7. Number of antisymmetric relations = 2 . 3 2

𝑛2 −𝑛
8. Number of asymmetric relations = 3 2
9. Number of equivalence relations = Bell numbers (𝐵𝑛 )
𝑛

𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐵0 = 1, 𝐵1 = 1, 𝐵2 = 2, 𝐵3 = 5 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐵𝑛+1 = ∑ 𝑛.𝐶𝑘 𝐵𝑘 , 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑛 > 2.

𝑘=0

Equivalence Relation:-
A relation R on a given non-empty set A is said to be an equivalence, if
(i) R is reflexive.
(ii) R is symmetric.
(iii) R is transitive.
A relation R = {(1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3)} ⊂ A× A is an equivalence relation over
A = {1, 2, 3}, whereas R = {(1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3), (1, 3)} is not an equivalence
relation on A as it is not symmetric.
For example, Let A = {1, 2, 3};
R = {(1, 2), (1, 1), (2, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3)(1, 3), (3, 1), (3, 2), (2, 3)}
Here R is reflexive, symmetric and transitive.
So, R is an equivalence relation on A.

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EXAMPLE

EXAMPLE

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EXAMPLE

Try These: -

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EXAMPLE

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EXAMPLE

EXAMPLE

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Practice Questions:-
1. Let A = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}
i) Given that the relation R = {(𝑎, 𝑏): 𝑎, 𝑏 ∈ 𝐴, 𝑏 − 𝑎 = 𝑘} is
reflexive. Then k = ___.
ii) Show that the relation 𝑅 = {(𝑎, 𝑏): 𝑎, 𝑏 ∈ 𝐴, |𝑏 − 𝑎| = 2} is
symmetric.
2. Let R be a relation on a set A = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6} defined as
𝑅 = {(𝑥, 𝑦): 𝑦 = 2𝑥 − 1}
i) Write R in roster form and find its domain and range.
ii) Is R an equivalence relation? Justify.
3. Let R be a relation in the set {1,2,3} defined by R = {(1, 1), (1, 3), (3, 3)}.
Then the ordered pair to be added to R to make it a reflexive relation is
________.
4. Check whether the relation R defined in the set A = {1, 2, 3 ,......,14} given
by R = {(x, y) : 3x - y = 0} is reflexive, symmetric and transitive.
5. Which of the following relations on A = {1, 2, 3} is an equivalence
relation?
a) {(1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3)}
b) {(1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3), (1, 2)}
c) {(1, 1), (3, 3), (1, 3), (3, 1)}
d) None of these
6. 𝑅 = {(𝑥, 𝑦) ∶ 𝑥, 𝑦 ∈ 𝑍, (𝑥 − 𝑦) 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟}. Show that R is an
equivalence relation.
OR
If 𝑅 = {(𝑥, 𝑦): 𝑥, 𝑦 ∈ 𝑍, 𝑥 − 𝑦 ∈ 𝑍}, then the relation R is
a) reflexive but not transitive
b) reflexive but not symmetric
c) symmetric but not transitive
d) an equivalence relation
7. Let R be a relation on a set A = {1, 2, 3} , defined by
𝑅 = {(1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3), (1, 3)}. Then, the ordered pair to be added to
R to make it the smallest equivalence relation is
(a) (2, 1)
(b) (3, 1)
(c) (1, 2)
(d) (1, 3)

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8. Determine whether the relation R in the set A = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6} as

𝑅 = {(𝑥, 𝑦): 𝑦 𝑖𝑠 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑏𝑦 𝑥} is an equivalence relation.
9. Consider the relation R in the set N of natural numbers defined as
𝑅 = {(𝑎, 𝑏): 𝑎𝑏 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑓 6}. Determine whether the relation is
reflexive, symmetric or transitive.
10. Let R be a relation defined on A = {1,2,3}by R = {(1,3), (3,1), (2,2)}. R is
a) Reflexive
b) Symmetric
c) Transitive
d) Reflexive but not transitive
11. What is the minimum number of ordered pairs to form a non-zero
reflexive relation on a set of n elements?
12. On the set ℝ of real numbers, S is a relation defined as
𝑆 = {(𝑥, 𝑦) 𝑥 ∈ ℝ, 𝑦 ∈ ℝ, 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 𝑥𝑦}. Find a ∈ ℝ such that 'a' is
never the first element of an ordered pair in S. Also, find b ∈ ℝ such that
'b' is never the second element of an ordered pair in S.
𝐴𝑛𝑠:
𝑎
𝑎 + 𝑦 = 𝑎𝑦 ⇒ 𝑎𝑦 − 𝑦 = 𝑎 ⇒ 𝑦(𝑎 − 1) = 𝑎 ⇒ 𝑦 = ⇒𝑎≠1
𝑎−1
𝑆𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑦, 𝑏 ≠ 1
∴ 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑖𝑠 1, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑏 𝑖𝑠 1.
13. Let R be the relation on the set N of the natural numbers given by
𝑅 = {(𝑎, 𝑏): 𝑎 − 𝑏 > 2, 𝑏 > 3}. Choose the correct answer.
A) (4,1) ∈ R
B) (5,8) ∈ R
C) (8,7) ∈ R
D) (10,6) ∈ R
14. Give an example of a relation on a set A = {1,2,3,4}, which is reflexive,
symmetric but not transitive.
15. Let ℕ be the set of all natural numbers and R be a relation on ℕ × ℕ
defined by (𝑎, 𝑏) 𝑅(𝑐, 𝑑) ⟺ 𝑎𝑑 = 𝑏𝑐 for all (a, b), (c, d) ∈ ℕ × ℕ
Show that R is an equivalence relation on ℕ × ℕ. Also, find the
equivalence class of (2, 6), i.e., [(2,6)].
16. Let 𝐴 = {𝑥 ∈ 𝑍: 0 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 12}.
Show that 𝑅 = {(𝑎, 𝑏) ∶ 𝑎, 𝑏 ∈ 𝐴, |𝑎 − 𝑏| 𝑖𝑠 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑏𝑦 4} is an
equivalence relation. Find the set of all elements related to 1. Write the
equivalence class [2].

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17. Show that the relation Ron the set A of all the books in a library of a
college given by
R = {(𝑥, 𝑦) ∶ 𝑥 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑠), is an
equivalence relation.
18. Show that the relation Ron the set A = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} given by
𝑅 = {(𝑎, 𝑏): |𝑎 − 𝑏| 𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛), is an equivalence relation. Show that of
(1, 3, 5) are related to each other and all the elements of (2, 4) are
related to each other. But, no element of (1,3,5) is related to any
element of (2, 4).
19. Let n be a positive integer. Prove that the relation R on the set Z of all
integers numbers defined by (𝑥, 𝑦) ∈ 𝑅 ⇔ 𝑥 − 𝑦 𝑖𝑠 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑏𝑦 𝑛, is an
equivalence relation on Z.
20. Let A be the set of all students of a boys school. Show that the relation R
on A given by R = {(a, b) : a is sister of b} is empty relation and
R' = {(a, b) : the difference between the heights of a and b is less than 5
meters} is the universal relation.

Note:-
Antisymmetric Relations and Asymmetric Relations
Let A be any set. A relation R on set A is said to be antisymmetric relation iff
(𝑎, 𝑏) ∈ 𝑅 𝑎𝑛𝑑 (𝑏, 𝑎) ∈ 𝑅 ⇒ 𝑎 = 𝑏 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑎, 𝑏 ∈ 𝐴
It follows from this definition that if (a, b) ∈ R, but (b, a) ∉ R, then also R is
an asymmetric relation. Eg. If R is a relation on set A = {12, 6}, such that
R = {(x, y) : x>y}; then {12, 6} ∈ R implies 12 > 6, but {6, 12} ∉ R, since 6 is not
greater than 12.
➢ The identity relation on a set A is an antisymmetric relation.
➢ Asymmetric is the opposite of symmetric but not equal to
antisymmetric.

Congruence Modulo m
Let m be an arbitrary integer but fixed integer.
Two integers a and b are said to be congruence modulo m, if a - b is
divisible by m, and we write 𝑎 ≡ 𝑏 (𝑚𝑜𝑑 𝑚).

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EXAMPLE

EXAMPLE
Given a non-empty set X, consider P (X) which is the set of all subsets of X. Define
a relation in P (X) as follows: For subsets A, B in P(X), A related to B if A is a subset
of B. Is R an equivalence relation on P (X)? Justify your answer.

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