Important Results and formulae of Relations and Functions

Compiled by Dr. R. Jayasankar

1. If a set A has n-elements and the set B has m elements, then

2. Number of elements in the Cartesian product of two sets A x B is n  m

3. Number of elements in the Cartesian product of two sets A x A is n  n

4. The relation is a subset of cartesian product of two sets ( A  B )

5. Number of relations that can be defined on A x B is 2n  m

2
6. Number of relations that can be defined on A x A is 2nn =2n

7. Number of non-empty relations that can be defined on A x B is 2m×n − 1

8. A relation R defined on A to itself is empty iff R =

9. A relation R defined on A to itself is universal iff R =A  A

10. A relation R in a set A is called identity relation in A, if R = {(a, a) : a ∈ A} = IA

11. A relation R defined on A to itself is reflexive iff ( a, a )  R for all a  A

12. A relation R defined on A to itself is symmetric iff

( a, b )  R  ( b, a )  R for all a&b  A

13. A relation R defined on A to itself is transitive iff

( a, b )  R & ( b, c )  R  ( a, c )  R for all a,b&c  A

14. A relation R defined on A to itself is equivalance iff

it is Reflexive, Symmetric and Transitive (R S T)

15. Identity relation is always equivalence Relation

16. Identity and Universal Relation is always Symmetric.

17. Void Relation is always symmetric and Transitive.

2 -n
18. Number of Reflexive relations that can be defined on A x A is 2 n = 2n (n-1)

n (n+1)
19. Number of Symmetric relations that can be defined on A x A is 2 2

n 2 -n
n
20. Number of Anti-Symmetric relations that can be defined on A x A is 2 × 3 2

21. Number of equivalence relations that can be defined on A x A is

n
Bn+1 =  n cr Br ( Bell's Equation)
r=0
B0 = 1, B1 = 1, B2 = 2, B3 = 5, B4 = 15, B5 = 52 ....

22. If R is a relation on a set A, then

i. R is reflexive ⇒ R−1 is reflexive

ii. R is symmetric ⇒ R−1 is symmetric

iii. R is transitive ⇒ R−1 is transitive

23. Any rule f from A to B is said to be function if f associates every element of A to

unique element in B

24. All functions are relation but all relations may not be a function.

25. Domain: The set of A is called the domain of f i.e., all possible values of x for which

f(x) exists (denoted by Df).

26. Co-domain: The set of B is called the co-domain of f (denoted by Cf).

27. Range: The set of all f - images of the elements of A is called the range of function f. all

possible values of f(x), for all values of x (denoted by Rf)

28. Function f :A → B is said to be injective( one to one ) if distinct elements in A have

distinct images in B

29. The range of f is always a subset of co-domain B. i.e., Rf ⊆ Cf

30. Function which is not one to one ( injective ) is called many-one function

B has at least one pre image in A

31. . Function which is not onto ( surjective ) is called into function .

32. A function f :A → B is said to be bijective function if it is both injective and surjective

i.e., it is both one-one and onto function

33. Number of functions from A → B is n(B)n(A) = m n

34. Number of functions from A → A is n(A)n(A) = n n

 n(B) p n(A) if n(B)  n(A)

35. Number of one-to-one functions from A → B is 
 0 if n(B)  n(A)

36. Number of many to one functions = Total number of functions- Number of one to one

functions.

37. Number of one-to-one functions from A → A is n

p n= n !

m
 (-1) Cr r n if n(A)  n(B)
m-r m
×
38. Number of on to functions from A → B is  r=1
 0
 if n(A)<n(B)

39. Number of on to functions = r n - r c1 (r-1) n - r c 2 (r-2) n - r c3 (r-3) n -.........

40. Number of in to functions = Total number of functions - total number of on to

functions.
41. Number of on to functions from A(which has n-elements) → B(which has only two

elements) is 2 n -2

42. Number of bijective functions from A → A is n!

43. Odd and Even functions

44. A function f ( x ) is said to be even if f ( − x ) = f ( x )

45. A function f ( x ) is said to be odd if f ( − x ) = -f ( x )

46. Every function can be written as the sum of even and odd functions.

47. Sum of two even functions is an even function

48. Sum of two odd functions is an even function

49. Product of two even/odd functions is an even function

50. Product of two functions in which one even and one odd is an odd function

51. Derivatives of an even function is always and odd fucntion

52. Derivatiaves of an odd function is always and odd function.

53. Even function is symmetric about y-axis

54. An odd function is inversion of an even function (only on the left side of y-axis)

55. A function f ( x ) is said to be periodic if f ( k + x ) = f ( x ) for all x  A and k  0

56. If f :A → B and g:B → C are two functions then, the composition of f and g ,

denoted by gof is defined as function gof : A → C

57. If f :A → B defined as f(x) = y and g:B → A defined as x = g(y) is said to be

inverse of f ( f −1 ) if g(f(x))= x and f(g(y))=y.

58. A function is invertible if it is one to one and onto.

59. gof is defined, if Rf ⊆ Dg

60. gof is one-one ⇒ f is one-one.

61. gof is onto ⇒ f is onto.

62. If f, g are one-one onto, then gof is also one-one onto.

63. f is even, g is even ⇒ fog is even function.

64. f is odd, g is odd ⇒ fog is odd function.

65. f is even, g is odd ⇒ fog is even function.

66. f is odd, g is even ⇒ fog is even function.

67. fog ≠ gof i.e., composite of functions is not commutative.

68. (fog)oh = fo(goh) i.e., composite of functions is associative.

69. (gof)−1 = (f−1og−1)

70. A binary operation * on A is a mapping from : A  A → A

71. Number of binary operation defined on A is n nn

72. Binary operation * is commutative if a*b=b*a for all a,b  A

73. Binary operation * is associative if a*( b*c ) = ( a*b ) *c for all a,b &c  A

74. If e is said to be identity element of * if a*e=e=e*a

75. If a −1 is said to be inverse element of * if a*a −1 =e=a −1*a

2
76. Number of binary operations n n

n2 + n
2
77. Number of commutative binary operations n

78. If any line parallel to X-axis, cuts the graph of the function at most one point,

then the function is one-one.

79. Domain and Range of Basic functions

S.No Name of the Function Function Domain Range

01 Identity function f(x)=x R R

02 Constant function f(x)=k R k 

03 Quadratic Polynomial f(x)=x 2 R 0, )

04 Cubic Polynomial f(x)=x 3 R R

05 Bi-quadratic f(x)=x 4 R 0, )

1
06 Reciprocal function f (x) = R-0 R-0
x

07 Modulus function f (x) = x R 0, )

x
08 Signum function f (x) = R-0 −1,0,1
x

09 Greatest Integer f (x) =  x  R Integers

function
10 Fractional part of the fn. f (x) =  x = x −  x  R 0,1)

11 Exponential function f (x) = e x R ( 0, )

12 Logarithmic function f (x) =log a x ( 0, ) R

13 Square root function f (x) = x 0, ) 0, )

1
14 Cube root of a function f (x) = x 3 R R R

15 Special function f (x) = x. x R R

80. Domain and Range of Trigonometric and Inverse Trig functions

S.No Name of the Function Function Domain Range

01 Sine function f(x) = sin x R  −1,1

02 Cos function f(x) = cos x R  −1,1

 π
03 Tan function f(x) = tan x R - ( 2n+1)  R
 2

04 Cosine function f(x) = cosec x R -nπ R - ( −1,1)

 π
05 Secant function f(x) = sec x R - ( 2n+1)  R - ( −1,1)
 2

06 Cotangents function f(x) = cot x R -nπ R

 π π
07 Inverse Sine function f(x) = sin −1 x  −1,1 - 2 , 2 

08 Inverse Cos function f(x) = cos −1x  −1,1 0,π 

 π π 
09 Inverse Tan function f(x) = tan −1x R  - , 
 2 2 

 π π
10 Inverse Cosine function f(x) = cosec−1 x − ( −1,1) - 2 , 2  − 0


11 Inverse Secant function f(x) = sec−1 x − ( −1,1) 0,π  −  
2

12 Inverse Cot function f(x) = cot −1 x R ( 0,π )

80. Domain and Range of square root of functions

S.No Function Domain Range

01 f(x) = a 2 -x 2

02 f(x) = x 2 -a 2

1
03 f(x) =
a 2 -x 2

1
04 f(x) =
x 2 -a 2

05 f(x) = (x-a) (b-x)

1
06 f(x) =
(x-a) (b-x)

(x-a)
07 f(x) = (a<b)
(b-x)

(x-a)
08 f(x) = (a>b)
(b-x)

09 f(x) = (x-a) (b-x)

10 f (x) = log(a 2 -x 2 )

11 f (x) = log(x 2 -a 2 )
81. Domain and Range of problems involving modulus function and GIF

S.No Function Domain Range

01 f(x) = x- x 0, ) 0, )

02 f(x) = x −x ( −,0 0, )

03 f(x) = x +x R 0, )
1
04 f(x) =  
x- x

1
05 f(x) =
x −x
( −,0 ( 0, )

1
06 f(x) =
x +x
( 0, ) 0, )

07 f(x) = x-  x  R 0,1)

08 f(x) =  x − x  

1
09 f(x) = R -Z
x-  x 

1
10 f(x) =
x+  x
( 0, )