Reflexive closure

In mathematics, the reflexive closure of a binary relation R on a set X is the smallest reflexive relation on X that contains R.

For example, if X is a set of distinct numbers and x R y means "x is less than y", then the reflexive closure of R is the relation "x is less than or equal to y".

Definition

The reflexive closure S of a relation R on a set X is given by

S=R\cup \left\{(x,x):x\in X\right\}

In words, the reflexive closure of R is the union of R with the identity relation on X.

Example

As an example, if

X=\left\{1,2,3,4\right\}

R=\left\{(1,1),(2,2),(3,3),(4,4)\right\}

then the relation $R$ is already reflexive by itself, so it doesn't differ from its reflexive closure.

However, if any of the pairs in $R$ was absent, it would be inserted for the reflexive closure. For example, if

X=\left\{1,2,3,4\right\}

R=\left\{(1,1),(2,2),(4,4)\right\}

then reflexive closure is, by the definition of a reflexive closure:

S=R\cup \left\{(x,x):x\in X\right\}=\left\{(1,1),(2,2),(3,3),(4,4)\right\}

References

Franz Baader and Tobias Nipkow, Term Rewriting and All That, Cambridge University Press, 1998, p. 8

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Reflexive closure

Definition

Example

See also

References