Relations Exhibit Certain Properties As Discussed Below. Consider The Following Figure
Relations Exhibit Certain Properties As Discussed Below. Consider The Following Figure
Fig. 1 Three vertex graphs for the properties (a) Reflexivity, (b) Symmetry and (c) Transitivity
This figure describes a universe of three elements, which are labeled as the vertices of
this graph, 1, 2, and 3, or in set notation, x 1, x2, x3 . The properties discussed here are
reflexivity, symmetry, and transitivity.
Reflexivity: When a relation is reflexive every vertex in the graph originates a single loop, as
shown in Figure (a).
Symmetry: If a relation is symmetric, then in the graph for every edge pointing (the arrows on
the edge lines in Figure b) from vertex i to vertex j (i, j 1, 2, 3), there is an edge pointing in
the opposite direction, that is, from vertex j to vertex i .
Transitivity: When a relation is transitive, then for every pair of edges in the graph, one
pointing from vertex i to vertex j and the other from vertex j to vertex k (i, j, k 1, 2, 3),
there is an edge pointing from vertex i directly to vertex k , as seen in Figure c (e.g., an arrow
from vertex 1 to vertex 2, an arrow from vertex 2 to vertex 3, and an arrow from vertex 1
to vertex 3).
Crisp Equivalence Relation
For example, for a matrix relation, the following properties will hold:
Reflexivity (xi , xi ) ∈ R or χR(xi , xi ) = 1. Eq.
(a)
Symmetry (xi , xj ) ∈ R −→ (xj , xi ) ∈ R Eq.
(b)
or χR(xi , xj ) = χR(xj , xi ).
Transitivity (xi , xj ) ∈ R and (xj , xk ) ∈ R −→ (xi , x k ) Eq.
∈R (c)
or χR(xi , xj ) and χR(xj , xk ) = 1 −→ χR(xi , xk )
= 1.
Crisp Tolerance Relation
A tolerance relation R (also called a proximity relation) on a universe X is
a relation that exhibits only the properties of reflexivity and symmetry. A
tolerance relation, R, can be reformed into an equivalence relation by at most (n
1) compositions with itself, where n is the cardinal number of the set defining
R, in this case X, that is
Rn−1 = R1 ◦ R1 ◦· · · ◦ R1 = R
Example:
1) Suppose in an airline transportation system we have a universe composed of
five elements: the cities Omaha, Chicago, Rome, London, and Detroit. The
airline is studying locations of potential hubs in various countries and must
consider air mileage between cities and takeoff and landing policies in the
various countries. These cities can be enumerated as the elements of a set,
that is,
This relation is reflexive and symmetric. The graph for this tolerance
relation would involve five vertices (five elements in the relation), as shown
in Figure 2.
Now, we see in this matrix that transitivity holds, that is, (x1, x5) R1, and R is an
equivalence relation.
The system with relation R1 is reflexive and symmetric. But not transitive.
For example
Here
Eq. (g)
The relation R is reflexive, symmetric and transitive and satisfies the conditions of transitivity
as clear from Eq. (g).
Thus the fuzzy relation R formed by composition is an equivalence relation.
Exercise
1. Determine the values of the composition B = A o R using the min-max, max-max,
min-min, max-average, sum-product fuzzy compositions.