The Smallest Reflexive Relation on a Set A is the Identity Relation

The Smallest Reflexive Relation on a Set A is the ……………………….

Question

The smallest reflexive relation on a set \( A \) is the ……………………….

Solution

A relation \( R \) on a set \( A \) is said to be reflexive if every element of \( A \) is related to itself.

That is,

\[ (a,a) \in R \quad \text{for all } a \in A \]

The smallest relation containing only these necessary ordered pairs is called the identity relation.

Identity relation on \( A \) is:

\[ I_A = \{(a,a): a \in A\} \]

Since it contains the minimum number of ordered pairs required for reflexivity, it is the smallest reflexive relation on \( A \).

Hence, the answer is:

\[ \boxed{\text{Identity Relation}} \]

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