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Applied Mathematics · Ch 4 — Relations

Relations

4.4

Relations

A relation is simply a connection between two sets of things. For instance, if you have a set of students and a set of subjects, the idea "is enrolled in" pairs each student with the subjects they study. In mathematics, we make this precise by defining a relation as a subset of the Cartesian product A×BA \times B, meaning it is a collection of ordered pairs (a,b)(a, b) where aa is related to bb. This formal definition lets us study patterns like "i …

Figure 4.1A relation shown as arrows from set A to set B: an arrow x to y is drawn whenever x is less than y
Fig. 4.1 — A relation shown as arrows from set A to set B: an arrow x to y is drawn whenever x is less than y

Drawn by us to help you understand the concept clearly, and verified to make sure it's accurate. For exams, practice from your NCERT textbook's own diagram.

A relation from A to B, drawn as arrows joining rela …