Intro to the Theory of Sets
An equivalence relation is a special type of binary relation that satisfies three specific properties: reflexivity, symmetry, and transitivity. This means that for any elements a, b, and c within a set, an equivalence relation allows us to say that a is related to a (reflexivity), if a is related to b then b is related to a (symmetry), and if a is related to b and b is related to c, then a is related to c (transitivity). These properties help to form equivalence classes, which group elements that share a common relationship, making it a foundational concept in various mathematical fields like set theory, topology, and analysis.
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