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Viewing Version 13 of 'pre-order'
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Title of object: pre-order
Canonical Name: QuasiOrder
Type: Definition

Created on: 2002-10-01 09:54:10
Modified on: 2006-09-16 04:05:28

Creator: yark
Modifier: yark
Author: yark
Author: draisma

Classification: msc:06A99
Defines: pre-ordered, preordered, semi-ordered, semiordered, quasi-ordered, quasiordered
Synonyms: pre-order=pre-ordering
pre-order=preorder
pre-order=preordering
pre-order=quasi-order
pre-order=quasi-ordering
pre-order=quasiorder
pre-order=quasiordering
pre-order=semi-order
pre-order=semi-ordering
pre-order=semiorder
pre-order=semiordering

Revision comment (for changes between this and next version):

LaTeX fix

Preamble:

\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{amsfonts}

%\def\lesssim{\preceq} % this was used to work around a bug, but shouldn't be needed now
Content:

\PMlinkescapeword{satisfy}

\section*{Definition}

A \emph{pre-order} on a set $S$ is a relation $\lesssim$ on $S$ satisfying the following two axioms:
\begin{description}
\item reflexivity: $s \lesssim s$ for all $s \in S$, and
\item transitivity: If $s \lesssim t$ and $t \lesssim u$, then $s \lesssim u$; for all $s,t,u \in S$.
\end{description}

\section*{Partial order induced by a pre-order}

Given such a relation, define a new relation $s\sim t$ on $S$ by
\[
s\sim t \mathrm{ if and only if } s\lesssim t \mathrm{ and } t \lesssim s.
\]
Then $\sim$ is an equivalence relation on $S$, and $\lesssim$ induces a partial order $\leq$ on the set $S/\sim$ of equivalence classes of $\sim$ defined by
\[
[s] \leq [t] \mathrm{ if and only if } s \lesssim t,
\]
where $[s]$ and $[t]$ denote the equivalence classes of $s$ and $t$. In particular, $\leq$ does satisfy antisymmetry, whereas $\lesssim$ may not.

\section*{Pre-orders as categories}

A pre-order $\lesssim$ on a set $S$ can be considered as a small category, in the which the objects are the elements of $S$ and there is a unique morphism from $x$ to $y$ if $x\lesssim y$ (and none otherwise).