Homogeneous relation

In mathematics, a homogeneous relation (also called endorelation) over a set X is a binary relation over X and itself, i.e. it is a subset of the Cartesian product X × X.[1][2][3] This is commonly phrased as “a relation on X”[4] or “a (binary) relation over X”.[5][6] An example of a homogeneous relation is the relation of kinship, where the relation is over people.

Common types of endorelations include orders, graphs, and equivalences. Specialized studies order theory and graph theory have developed understanding of endorelations. Terminology particular for graph theory is used for description, with an ordinary graph presumed to correspond to a symmetric relation, and a general endorelation corresponding to a directed graph. An endorelation R corresponds to a logical matrix of 0s and 1s, where the expression xRy corresponds to an edge between x and y in the graph, and to a 1 in the square matrix of R. It is called an adjacency matrix in graph terminology.

1 Particular homogeneous relations

1.1 Example

2 Properties

3 Operations

4 Enumeration

5 Examples

6 Generalizations