Relation

Pronunciation: /rɪˈleɪ.ʃən/ Explain

Figure 1: Venn diagram showing that functions are a subset of relations.

A relation is a property that associates two variables. It can be considered as a set of ordered pairs. An example of a relation is x2 + y2 = 1. A relation may or may not also be a function. An example of a relation that is a function is y = x + 2.

References

1. McAdams, David E.. All Math Words Dictionary, relation. 2nd Classroom edition 20150108-4799968. pg 154. Life is a Story Problem LLC. January 8, 2015. Buy the book
2. Bettinger, Alvin K. and Englund, John A.. Algebra and Trigonometry. pp 12-14. www.archive.org. International Textbook Company. January 1963. Last Accessed 12/4/2018. http://www.archive.org/stream/algebraandtrigon033520mbp#page/n18/mode/1up. Buy the book
3. Gilbert, Jimmie; and Gilbert Linda. Elements of Modern Algebra. 6th edition. pp 48-54. Thomson, Brooks/Cole. 2005. Buy the book

Cite this article as:

McAdams, David E. Relation. 5/2/2019. All Math Words Encyclopedia. Life is a Story Problem LLC. http://www.allmathwords.org/en/r/relation.html.

Image Credits

• All images and manipulatives are by David McAdams unless otherwise stated. All images by David McAdams are Copyright © Life is a Story Problem LLC and are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Revision History

5/2/2019: Changed equations and expressions to new format. (McAdams, David E.)
12/21/2018: Reviewed and corrected IPA pronunication. (McAdams, David E.)
12/4/2018: Removed broken links, updated license, implemented new markup. (McAdams, David E.)
3/11/2008: Initial version. (McAdams, David E.)