The extension of a
predicatea
truth-valued
functionis the
set of
tuple
In mathematics, a tuple is a finite ordered list (sequence) of elements. An -tuple is a sequence (or ordered list) of elements, where is a non-negative integer. There is only one 0-tuple, referred to as ''the empty tuple''. An -tuple is defi ...
s of values that, used as arguments, satisfy the predicate. Such a set of tuples is a
relation.
Examples
For example, the statement "''d2'' is the weekday following ''d1''" can be seen as a truth function associating to each tuple (''d2'', ''d1'') the value ''true'' or ''false''. The extension of this truth function is, by convention, the set of all such tuples associated with the value ''true'', i.e.
By examining this extension we can conclude that "Tuesday is the weekday following Saturday" (for example) is false.
Using
set-builder notation
In set theory and its applications to logic, mathematics, and computer science, set-builder notation is a mathematical notation for describing a set by enumerating its elements, or stating the properties that its members must satisfy.
Definin ...
, the extension of the
''n''-ary predicate
can be written as
:
Relationship with characteristic function
If the values 0 and 1 in the range of a
characteristic function In mathematics, the term "characteristic function" can refer to any of several distinct concepts:
* The indicator function of a subset, that is the function
::\mathbf_A\colon X \to \,
:which for a given subset ''A'' of ''X'', has value 1 at point ...
are identified with the values false and true, respectivelymaking the characteristic function a predicate, then for all relations ''R'' and predicates
the following two statements are equivalent:
*
is the characteristic function of ''R''
*''R'' is the extension of
See also
*
Extensional logic
*
Extensional set
*
Extensionality
In logic, extensionality, or extensional equality, refers to principles that judge objects to be equal if they have the same external properties. It stands in contrast to the concept of intensionality, which is concerned with whether the internal ...
*
Intension
In any of several fields of study that treat the use of signs — for example, in linguistics, logic, mathematics, semantics, semiotics, and philosophy of language — an intension is any property or quality connoted by a word, phrase, or ano ...
References
extension (semantics)in
nLab
Predicate logic
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