Discrete Structures

Sets, Functions, Matrices, and Relations

(Lecture -2)

Dr. Nirnay Ghosh

Functions
 In many instances we assign to each element of a set a particular
element of a second set.
 Example of a function: Assignment of grades in a particular class

 Functions: important for both mathematics and computer science

 Used to define discrete structures: sequences and strings
 How long it takes a computer to solve problems of given size
 Many computer programs and subroutines are designed to calculate values of
functions.
 Recursive functions, which are functions defined in terms of themselves, are
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used throughout computer science
 Functions

 Two functions are equal when they have the same domain, have the same
codomain, and map each element of their common domain to the same
element in their common codomain.
 A function is called real-valued if its codomain is the set of real numbers,
and it is called integer-valued if its codomain is the set of integers.
 Two real-valued functions or two integer-valued functions with the same
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Functions

 Image of a subset can be defined as follows:

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Mappings: One-to-One Functions

 Conditions that guarantee that a function is one-to-one:

 Increasing/Strictly increasing, Decreasing/Strictly decreasing functions

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 Mappings: Onto Functions

 A function f is onto if ∀y∃x (f (x) = y), where the domain for x is the domain
of the function and the domain for y is the codomain of the function.

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Mappings: One-to-one correspondences

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Inverse Functions

 A one-to-one correspondence is called invertible because we can

define an inverse of this function.
 A function is not invertible if it is not a one-to-one correspondence,
because the inverse of such a function does not exist.
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Composition of Functions

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Floor & Ceiling Functions

 Floor function: same value throughout the

interval [n, n + 1), namely n, and then it
jumps up to n + 1 when x = n + 1.
 Ceiling function: same value throughout
the interval (n, n + 1], namely n + 1, and
then jumps to n + 2 when x is a little larger
than n + 1.
 A useful approach for considering
statements about the floor function is to let
x = n + ε,where n is the integer, and ε is
the fractional part of x, satisfies the
inequality 0 ≤ ε < 1.
 Similarly, when considering statements
about the ceiling function, it is useful to
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≤ ε < 1.
Floor & Ceiling Functions
 In Figure 10(a), the floor function is shown. Note that this function has the same value
throughout the interval [n, n + 1), namely n, and then it jumps up to n + 1 when x = n +
1.
 In Figure 10(b), the graph of the ceiling function is shown. Note that this function has the
same value throughout the interval (n, n + 1], namely n + 1, and then jumps to n + 2
when x is a little larger than n + 1.

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Partial Functions
 A program designed to evaluate a function may not produce the
correct value of the function for all elements in the domain of this
function.
 Function considering only a subset of the domain.

 The function f : Z → R where f (n) = √n is a partial function from

Z to R where the domain of definition is the set of nonnegative
integers. Note that f is undefined for negative integers.

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Matrices

 Matrix addition:

 The sum of two matrices of the same size is obtained by adding elements in
the corresponding positions.
 Matrices of different sizes cannot be added, because the sum of two
matrices is defined only when both matrices have the same number of rows
and the same number of columns.

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Matrices
 Matrix multiplication:

 The product of two matrices is not defined when the number of columns in
the first matrix and the number of rows in the second matrix are not the same.

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 Identity and Transposes Matrices
 Identity matrix

 Transpose of a matrix

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 Square and Symmetric Matrices

 A matrix is symmetric if and only if it is square and it is symmetric

with respect to its main diagonal (which consists of entries that are
in the ith row and ith column for some i).

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