Homogeneous binary relation in the context of Adjacency matrix

In mathematics, especially order theory, a partial order on a set is an arrangement such that, for certain pairs of elements, one precedes the other. The word partial is used to indicate that not every pair of elements needs to be comparable; that is, there may be pairs for which neither element precedes the other. Partial orders thus generalize total orders, in which every pair is comparable.

Formally, a partial order is a homogeneous binary relation that is reflexive, antisymmetric, and transitive. A partially ordered set (poset for short) is an ordered pair ${\displaystyle P=(X,\leq )}$ consisting of a set ${\displaystyle X}$ (called the ground set of ${\displaystyle P}$) and a partial order ${\displaystyle \leq }$ on ${\displaystyle X}$. When the meaning is clear from context and there is no ambiguity about the partial order, the set ${\displaystyle X}$ itself is sometimes called a poset.

In mathematics, the transitive closure R of a homogeneous binary relation R on a set X is the smallest relation on X that contains R and is transitive. For finite sets, "smallest" can be taken in its usual sense, of having the fewest related pairs; for infinite sets R is the unique minimal transitive superset of R.

For example, if X is a set of airports and x R y means "there is a direct flight from airport x to airport y" (for x and y in X), then the transitive closure of R on X is the relation R such that x R y means "it is possible to fly from x to y in one or more flights".