Transitive closure

In mathematics, the transitive closure of a binary relation R on a set X is the smallest relation on X that contains R and is transitive. For finite sets, "smallest" can be taken in its usual sense, of having the fewest related pairs; for infinite sets it is the unique minimal transitive superset of R. Conversely, transitive reduction adduces a minimal relation S from a given relation R such that they have the same closure, that is, S+ = R+; however, many different S with this property may exist.

Transitive closure

In mathematics, the transitive closure of a binary relation R on a set X is the smallest relation on X that contains R and is transitive. For finite sets, "smallest" can be taken in its usual sense, of having the fewest related pairs; for infinite sets it is the unique minimal transitive superset of R. Conversely, transitive reduction adduces a minimal relation S from a given relation R such that they have the same closure, that is, S+ = R+; however, many different S with this property may exist.