In mathematics, a relation on a set is transitive if, for all elements , , in , whenever relates to and to , then also relates to . Each partial order as well as each equivalence relation needs to be transitive.
Definition
A homogeneous relation on the set is a transitive relation if, for all , if and , then . Or in terms of first-order logic: , where is the infix notation for .
Examples
As a non-mathematical example, the relation "is an ancestor of" is transitive. For example, if Amy is an ancestor of Becky, and Becky is an ancestor of Carrie, then Amy, too, is an ancestor of Carrie.
On the other hand, "is the birth parent of" is not a transitive relation, because if Alice is the birth parent of Brenda, and Brenda is the birth parent of Claire, then this does not imply that Alice is the birth parent of Claire. What is more, it is antitransitive: Alice can never be the birth parent of Claire.
Non-transitive, non-antitransitive relations include sports fixtures (playoff schedules), 'knows' and 'talks to'.
"Is greater than", "is at least as great as", and "is equal to" (equality) are transitive relations on various sets, for instance, the set of real numbers or the set of natural numbers:
whenever x > y and y > z, then also x > z
whenever x ≥ y and y ≥ z, then also x ≥ z
whenever x = y and y = z, then also x = z.
More examples of transitive relations: "is a subset of" (set inclusion, a relation on sets) "divides" (divisibility, a relation on natural numbers) "implies" (implication, symbolized by "⇒", a relation on propositions)
Examples of non-transitive relations: "is the successor of" (a relation on natural numbers) "is a member of the set" (symbolized as "∈") "is perpendicular to" (a relation on lines in Euclidean geometry)
The empty relation on any set is transitive because there are no elements such that and , and hence the transitivity condition is vacuously true. A relation containing only one ordered pair is also transitive: if the ordered pair is of the form for some the only such elements are , and indeed in this case , while if the ordered pair is not of the form then there are no such elements and hence is vacuously transitive.
Properties
Closure properties
The converse (inverse) of a transitive relation is always transitive. For instance, knowing that "is a subset of" is transitive and "is a superset of" is its converse, one can conclude that the latter is transitive as well. The intersection of two transitive relations is always transitive. For instance, knowing that "was born before" and "has the same first name as" are transitive, one can conclude that "was born before and also has the same first name as" is also transitive. The union of two transitive relations need not be transitive. For instance, "was born before or has the same first name as" is not a transitive relation, since e.g. Herbert Hoover is related to Franklin D. Roosevelt, who is in turn related to Franklin Pierce, while Hoover is not related to Franklin Pierce. The complement of a transitive relation need not be transitive. For instance, while "equal to" is transitive, "not equal to" is only transitive on sets with at most one element.
Other properties
A transitive relation is asymmetric if and only if it is irreflexive.
A transitive relation need not be reflexive. When it is, it is called a preorder. For example, on set X = { 1,2,3}:
R = { (1,1), (2,2), (3,3), (1,3), (3,2)} is reflexive, but not transitive, as the pair (1,2) is absent, R = { (1,1), (2,2), (3,3), (1,3)} is reflexive as well as transitive, so it is a preorder, R = { (1,1), (2,2), (3,3)} is reflexive as well as transitive, another preorder.
Transitive extensions and transitive closure
Let be a binary relation on set . The transitive extension of , denoted , is the smallest binary relation on such that contains , and if and then . For example, suppose is a set of towns, some of which are connected by roads. Let be the relation on towns where if there is a road directly linking town and town . This relation need not be transitive. The transitive extension of this relation can be defined by if you can travel between towns and by using at most two roads.
If a relation is transitive then its transitive extension is itself, that is, if is a transitive relation then .
The transitive extension of would be denoted by , and continuing in this way, in general, the transitive extension of would be . The transitive closure of , denoted by or is the set union of , , , ... .
The transitive closure of a relation is a transitive relation.