Counter-example to ( R &#x222A;<!-- ∪ --> S ) <mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD">

Jorden Pace

Jorden Pace

Answered question

2022-07-13

Counter-example to ( R S ) = R S .
We must show if the following equation involving two relations on a set A is true or false:
( R S ) = R S
Where R∗ indicates the complement relation of R on the same set.
Is the following counter-example correct?
A = { a , b }.
R = { ( a , a ) , ( b , b ) } so that R = { ( a , b ) , ( b , a ) }
S = { ( a , b ) , ( b , a ) } so that S = { ( a , a ) , ( b , b ) }
Then R S is A × A while ( R S ) is the empty set, so the equality does not hold.
Would this be a correct counter-example? Thanks in advance.

Answer & Explanation

Jordan Mcpherson

Jordan Mcpherson

Beginner2022-07-14Added 16 answers

Step 1
This counter-example is indeed correct, as noted in the comments. In fact, it is easier to see that the statement should not hold in general thanks to De Morgan's laws:
Step 2
( i I A i ) = i I A i

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