Difference between revisions of "Boolean lattice"

 
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Given any [[set]] <math>S</math>, the '''boolean lattice''' <math>B(S)</math> is a [[partially ordered set]] whose elements are those of <math>\mathcal{P}(S)</math>, the [[power set]] of <math>S</math>, ordered by inclusion (<math>\subset</math>).
 
Given any [[set]] <math>S</math>, the '''boolean lattice''' <math>B(S)</math> is a [[partially ordered set]] whose elements are those of <math>\mathcal{P}(S)</math>, the [[power set]] of <math>S</math>, ordered by inclusion (<math>\subset</math>).
  
When <math>S</math> has a finite number of elements (say <math>|S| = n</math>), the boolean lattice associated with <math>S</math> is usually denoted <math>B_n</math>.  Thus, the set <math>S = \{1, 2, 3\}</math> is associated with the boolean lattice <math>B_3</math> with elements <math>\emptyset, \{1\}, \{2\}, \{3\}, \{1, 2\}, \{1, 3\}, \{2, 3\}</math> and <math>\{1, 2, 3\}</math>, among which <math>\emptyset</math> is smaller than all others, <math>S = \{1, 2, 3\}</math> is larger than all others, and the other six elements satisfy the relations <math>\{1\}, \{2\} \subset \{1,2\}</math>, <math>\{1\}, \{3\} \subset \{1,3\}</math>, <math>\{2\}, \{3\} \subset \{2,3\}</math> and no others.
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When <math>S</math> has a [[finite]] number of elements (say <math>|S| = n</math>), the boolean lattice associated with <math>S</math> is usually denoted <math>B_n</math>.  Thus, the set <math>S = \{1, 2, 3\}</math> is associated with the boolean lattice <math>B_3</math> with elements <math>\emptyset, \{1\}, \{2\}, \{3\}, \{1, 2\}, \{1, 3\}, \{2, 3\}</math> and <math>\{1, 2, 3\}</math>, among which <math>\emptyset</math> is smaller than all others, <math>S = \{1, 2, 3\}</math> is larger than all others, and the other six elements satisfy the relations <math>\{1\}, \{2\} \subset \{1,2\}</math>, <math>\{1\}, \{3\} \subset \{1,3\}</math>, <math>\{2\}, \{3\} \subset \{2,3\}</math> and no others.
  
 
The [[Hasse diagram]] for <math>B_3</math> is given below:
 
The [[Hasse diagram]] for <math>B_3</math> is given below:

Revision as of 13:42, 24 October 2006

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Given any set $S$, the boolean lattice $B(S)$ is a partially ordered set whose elements are those of $\mathcal{P}(S)$, the power set of $S$, ordered by inclusion ($\subset$).

When $S$ has a finite number of elements (say $|S| = n$), the boolean lattice associated with $S$ is usually denoted $B_n$. Thus, the set $S = \{1, 2, 3\}$ is associated with the boolean lattice $B_3$ with elements $\emptyset, \{1\}, \{2\}, \{3\}, \{1, 2\}, \{1, 3\}, \{2, 3\}$ and $\{1, 2, 3\}$, among which $\emptyset$ is smaller than all others, $S = \{1, 2, 3\}$ is larger than all others, and the other six elements satisfy the relations $\{1\}, \{2\} \subset \{1,2\}$, $\{1\}, \{3\} \subset \{1,3\}$, $\{2\}, \{3\} \subset \{2,3\}$ and no others.

The Hasse diagram for $B_3$ is given below:


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Every boolean lattice is a distributive lattice, and the poset operations meet and join correspond to the set operations union and intersection.