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Worked Examples · Example 10

Q.Let N\mathbb{N} be the set of natural numbers and the relation RR be defined on N\mathbb{N} such that R={(x,y):y=2x, x,y∈N}R = \{(x, y) : y = 2x,\ x, y \in \mathbb{N}\}. What is the domain, codomain and range of RR? Is this relation a function?

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The relation RR pairs each natural number xx with its double 2x2x. Its domain is N\mathbb{N}, codomain is N\mathbb{N}, range is the set of even natural numbers, and RR is a function because every xx has exactly one yy.


Why an arrow diagram makes this crystal clear

A relation on N\mathbb{N} is just a set of ordered pairs. The rule here is simple: take any natural number xx, and pair it with y=2xy = 2x. If you picture arrows shooting from each xx to its yy, you immediately see:

  • Every xx in N\mathbb{N} gets one and only one arrow leaving it — that’s the hallmark of a function.
  • The arrows land only on even numbers (since doubling any natural gives an even number).
  • No arrow lands on an odd number, so the range is a proper subset of the codomain.

Let’s pin down the exact sets.


Step-by-step reasoning

1. Domain — where the arrows start

The domain is the set of all first elements of the ordered pairs in RR. The rule y=2xy = 2x is defined for every x∈Nx \in \mathbb{N}. So every natural number appears as a first coordinate.

Domain =N={1,2,3,4,… }= \mathbb{N} = \{1, 2, 3, 4, \dots\}.

2. Codomain — the declared “target” set

The problem states that RR is defined on N\mathbb{N}, meaning both xx and yy come from N\mathbb{N}. The codomain is simply the set in which the second coordinates are allowed to live — here it’s N\mathbb{N} itself.

Codomain =N= \mathbb{N}.

3. Range — where the arrows actually land

The range is the set of all second coordinates that actually occur. Since y=2xy = 2x and x∈Nx \in \mathbb{N}, the possible yy values are 2,4,6,8,…2, 4, 6, 8, \dots — all even natural numbers. No odd number ever appears as a yy.

Range ={2,4,6,8,… }={y∈N:y is even}= \{2, 4, 6, 8, \dots\} = \{y \in \mathbb{N} : y \text{ is even}\}.

Watch out

A common mistake is to say the range equals the codomain. Here the codomain is all naturals, but the range is only the evens. They are not the same — the range is a proper subset of the codomain.

4. Is RR a function?

A relation is a function if every element of the domain is related to exactly one element of the codomain. For each x∈Nx \in \mathbb{N}, the rule y=2xy = 2x gives one and only one yy. No xx maps to two different yy’s, and no xx is left unmapped.

Yes, RR is a function. In fact, it’s the function f:N→Nf: \mathbb{N} \to \mathbb{N} defined by f(x)=2xf(x) = 2x.

Tip

You can also check the vertical line test on a graph of points (x,2x)(x, 2x) — each vertical line (each xx) hits exactly one point. That’s the graphical version of the function definition.


✓Final answer

The domain is N\mathbb{N}, the codomain is N\mathbb{N}, the range is the set of even natural numbers {2,4,6,… }\{2, 4, 6, \dots\}, and RR is a function.

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