Relation

🅟 Feb 21, 2026

  🅤 Feb 24, 2026

Set Theory > Relations

DEF-R. Relation.

  • A 2-ary / binary relation on $X$ and $Y$ is a subset of the Cartesian product $X\times Y$.

  • A 3-ary / ternary relation on $X$, $Y$ and $Z$ is a subset of $X\times Y\times Z$.

  • 4-ary / quaternary relations, 5-ary / quinary relations, etc. are defined analogously.

  • An $n$-ary relation on $X$ ($n\geq 2$) is a subset of $X^n$.

Given an $n$-ary relation $R$ ($n\geq 2$), for any $x_1$, $\cdots$, $x_n$, we can write

\[R(x_1,\cdots,x_n) \quad\text{for}\quad (x_1,\cdots,x_n)\in R.\]

If $R$ is a binary relation, for any $x$ and $y$, we can also write

\[x\,R\,y \quad\text{for}\quad R(x,y).\]

REM-R-AR.

The arity of a relation is not an intrinsic property, as the arity of a tuple is not intrinsic (REM-TUP-AR). For example, a ternary relation on $X$, $Y$ and $Z$ could also be seen as a binary relation on $X\times Y$ and $Z$.

DEF-R-EMP. Empty Relation.

For any sets $X_1$, $\cdots$, $X_n$ ($n\geq 2$), $\varnothing$ is the empty relation on $X_1$, $\cdots$, $X_n$.

DEF-R-UNI. Universal Relation.

For any sets $X_1$, $\cdots$, $X_n$ ($n\geq 2$), $X_1\times\cdots\times X_n$ is the universal relation on $X_1$, $\cdots$, $X_n$.

DEF-R-DOM. Domain.

The domain of a binary relation $R$ is

\[\operatorname{dom}R = \left\{x\in\bigcup\bigcup R:(\exists y:x\,R\,y)\right\}.\]

DEF-R-RAN. Range.

The range of a binary relation $R$ is

\[\operatorname{ran}R = \left\{y\in\bigcup\bigcup R:(\exists x:x\,R\,y)\right\}.\]

DEF-R-FLD. Field.

The field of a binary relation $R$ is

\[\operatorname{field}R = \operatorname{dom}R\cup\operatorname{ran}R.\]