ECO 7119 Mathematical Foundations of Economic Theory

Assignment # 1 (due on October 6 2015).

1. Let X be a set and a binary relation on X.
a) Provide a mathematical denition for each of the following sentences:
is reexive
is transitive
is symmetric
is asymmetric
is antisymmetric
is a preorder
is an equivalence relation
X is chain
X is a lattice
b) Are the following implications or their converse true? (Provide a counterexample whenever an implication is false.)
- is (not) symmetric =) is (not) asymmetric.
- is (not) symmetric =) is (not) antisymmetric.
- is (not) antisymmetric =) is (not) asymmetric.
2) Let X = f1; 2; 3; 12; 18; 36g be a set and
a binary relation dened on
X as follows: for any x; y 2 X, x y if x is a multiple of y. Is X a lattice?
x

3) Let be a binary relation dened on a set X as follows: for any x; y 2 X,

y if x y 0 and x y is even.
a) Determine whether X is a lattice in each of the following situations:
a-i) X = f2; 4; 8g.
a-ii) X = f1; 4; 8; 9g.
b) Determine whether X is a chain in each of the following situations:
b-i) X = f2; 4; 8g.
b-ii) X = f1; 4; 8; 9g.
c) In each case, identify the maximal and the best elements.

4) An individual i is choosing a house from a set X of houses based on a

set of n criteria, where his preference relation over X along each criterion is
a complete preorder. From the viewpoint of i, criteria are ranked in order of
importance (e.g., his rst criterion might be proximity to school, his second
criterion proximity to the shopping center, and so on), and a house x is chosen
over another house y if and only if x dominates y along the rst criterion in
which x and y dier. Denote by L the preference relation of i. Show that L
is a complete preorder.
5) Let N = f1; 2; :::; ng be a set of soccer players and W P (N ) be the set
of good teams such that: for any teams S; T 2 P (N ), S 2 W and S
T =)
T 2 W (this means that adding more players to a good team always results
1

in another good team). Dene the desirability relation

on N as follows: let
x; y 2 N be two players. x y if for any team S that contains neither x, nor
y, S [ fyg 2 W =) S [ fxg 2 W (this means that x is a more desirable player
than y if whenever y turns a bad team into a good team by joining it, x can do
the same).
a) Is the indierence component of an equivalence relation?
b) Is the irreexive component of transitive?
c) Is a preorder?
d) Provide an example where is not complete.
e) Is N a lattice in general?
Assume that

satises the following condition:

(*) For any good teams S; T 2 W and players x 2 S T and y 2 T S,

S fxg [ fyg 2 W or T fyg [ fxg 2 W (this means that aone-to-one exchange
of players between two good teams results in at least one of the resulting teams
remaining good).
f) Show that is complete.
g) Is condition (*) a necessary condition for the binary relation
complete?
h) State a necessary and su cient condition for the binary relation
a complete preorder.

to be
to be