DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS

Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati

Discrete Mathematics (MA221, MA501 & CS203)
July - November 2010

Assignment II Instructor: Bikash Bhattacharjya

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1. Let A be an infinite set. Using the principle of mathematical induction, show that
there is an injection f : N → A. Hence ℵ0 ≤ |A|.

2. Give bijections from (0, 1) onto (0, 1] and from (0, 1) onto [0, 1].

3. Show that |P (N)| = | [0, 1)| = c.

4. Let A be an infinite set. Show that

(a) |A ∪ {x}| = |A|, where x ∈

/ A.
(b) |A ∪ B| = |A|, where B is a finite set.
(c) |A ∪ B| = |A|, where B is a countable set.
(d) |A ∪ B| = |A|, where B is set such that |B| ≤ |A|.

5. Show that any two intervals have the same cardinality.

6. Show that |R × R| = |R|.

7. Give an example of a relation which is neither reflexive nor irreflexive.

8. Give an example of a relation which is neither symmetric nor anti-symmetric.

9. Prove or disprove: If R is a relation on a set X which is both symmetric and

transitive, then R is also reflexive.

10. Let R and S be two equivalence relation on a set X. Show that R ∩ S is also an
equivalence relation on X. Is R ∪ S also always an equivalence relation on X?

11. Let X = {a, b, c, d, e} and P = {{a}, {b, c}, {d, e}}. Find an equivalence relation R
on X which generates the partition P.
12. Let P be a partion of a non-empty set X. Show that there exists a unique equivalence
relation R on X such that the equivalence classes are the blocks of the partition P.

13. Let A = {a, b}, B = {a, b, c} and C = {a, b, d}. Draw the Hasse diagram of the PO
sets (A, ⊆), (B, ⊆) and (C, ⊆).

14. Draw the Hasse diagram for J3 × J4 with lexicographic order.

15. Give an example of a set X such that ((P ), ⊆) is a totally ordered set.

16. Give an example relation on a set which is both a partial ordering relation and an
equivalence relation.

17. Let S be the set of all partial ordering relations on a set P . Define a partial ordering
relation on S and interpret this relation in terms of the elements of P .

18. For a fixed n ∈ N, let Pn = {k ∈ N | k divides n}.

Define ≤= {(a, b)| a divides b and a, b ∈ Pn }. Show that (Pn , ≤) is a PO set. Find
a necessary and sufficient condition on n so that Pn becomes a totally ordered set.

19. Prove or disprove:

(a) Take N with the usual order. Then the dictionary order on N2 is a well order.
(b) Take N with the usual order and N2 with the dictionary order. Then any
nonempty bounded above subset of N2 has a least upper bound.
(c) Every nonempty finite totally ordered set is well ordered with respect to the
same ordering.
(d) Every nonempty countable totally ordered set is well ordered with respect to
the same ordering.
(e) In a PO set, every nonempty bounded below chain is well ordered with respect
to the same ordering.

20. Show that there are only five distinct Hasse diagrams for partially ordered sets that
contain only three elements.