66 CLASSICAL RELATIONS AND FUZZY RELATIONS. This new relation, E, actually represents the character of the rainstorm for the two geographically separated pond systems: the first system from the four ponds, py, ..., ps and the second system from the ponds ps, ..., po. If the numbers in this relation are large, it means that the rainstorm was widespread, whereas if the numbers are closer to zero, then the rainstorm is mote localized and the original rain gauges are not a good predictor for both systems. TOLERANCE AND EQUIVALENCE RELATIONS Relations can exhibit various useful properties, a few of which will be discussed here ‘As mentioned in the introduction of this chapter, relations can be used in graph theory (Gill, 1976; Zadeh, 1971]. Consider the simple graphs in Fig. 3.8. This figure describes a universe of three elements, which are labeled as the vertices of this graph, 1, 2, and 3, or in set notation, X = (1, 2, 3}. The usefial properties we wish to discuss are reflexivity, symmetry, and transitivity (there are other properties of relations that are the antonyms of these three, i.c., irreflexivity, asymmetry, and nontransitivity; these, and an additional property of antisymmetry, will not be discussed in this text). When a relation is reflexive every vertex in the graph originates a single loop, as shown in Fig. 3.8a. If a relation is symmetric, then in the graph for every edge pointing (the arrows on the edge lines in Fig. 3.86) from vertex i to vertex j (i, j = 1, 2, 3), there is an edge pointing in the opposite direction, ie., from vertex j to vertex i, When a relation is transitive, then for every pair of edges in the graph, one pointing from vertex i to vertex j and the other from vertex j to vertex k (i, j,k = 1,2, 3), there is an edge pointing from vertex i directly to vertex k, as seen in Fig. 3.8¢ (e.g., an arrow from vertex | to vertex 2, an arrow from vertex 2 to vertex 3, and an arrow from vertex I to vertex 3). Crisp Equivalence Relation Arelation R on a universe X can also be thought of as a relation from X to X. The relation R is an equivalence relation if it has the following three properties: (1) reflexivity, (2) symmetry, and (3) transitivity. For example, for a matrix relation the following properties will hold: Reflexivity (xi. x)) € Ror yx (x, X)) = 1 3.194) Symmetry (ux) ER (ym) ER (3.19) (a) ) © FIGURE 3.8 Three-vertex graphs for properties of (a) reflexivity, (b) symmetry, (c) transitivity [Gill, 1976]