Properties of Relations

🅟 Feb 21, 2026

  🅤 Feb 25, 2026

Set Theory > Relations

DEF-RP.

Let $\sim$ be a binary relation on $X$. We define the following properties of $\sim$:

Property Condition
Reflexive $x\sim x$
Irreflexive / Strict $x\not\sim x$
Symmetric $x\sim y\Rightarrow y\sim x$
Antisymmetric $(x\sim y\land y\sim x)\Rightarrow x=y$
Asymmetric $x\sim y\Rightarrow y\not\sim x$
Transitive $(x\sim y\land y\sim z)\Rightarrow x\sim z$
Connected $x\neq y\Rightarrow(x\sim y\lor y\sim x)$
Strongly connected $x\sim y\lor y\sim x$
Left-unique / One-to-many / Injective $(x\sim z\land y\sim z)\Rightarrow x=y$
Right-unique / Many-to-one / Functional $(z\sim x\land z\sim y)\Rightarrow x=y$

The statements under “Condition” are meant to hold either for all $x\in X$; all $x$, $y\in X$; or all $x$, $y$, $z\in X$, accordingly.

DEF-RP-T.

Let $\sim$ be a relation on $X$ and $Y$. $\sim$ is

  • left-total if $\operatorname{dom}{\sim}=X$, namely

    \[\forall x\in X\,\exists y\in Y : x\sim y.\]
  • right-total / onto / surjective if $\operatorname{ran}{\sim}=Y$, namely

    \[\forall y\in Y\,\exists x\in X : x\sim y.\]

REM-RP-T.

Notice that the left-total and right-total properties are not intrinsic, as they depend on the choices of $X$ and $Y$.