A function $f\colon A\to B$ is injective if it satisfies the following condition:
- (★) For each $a,a'\in A$, if $f(a)=f(a')$, then $a=a'$.
Let $A$ and $B$ be sets.
A function $f\colon A\to B$ is injective if it satisfies the following condition:
Let $f\colon A\to B$ be a function.
Characterisations. The following conditions are equivalent:1
The function $f$ is injective.
The function $f$ is a monomorphism in $\mathsf{Sets}$.
The function $f$ is a retraction in $\mathsf{Sets}$.
The direct image function
associated to $f$ is injective.
The inverse image function
associated to $f$ is surjective.
The codirect image function
associated to $f$ is injective.
The direct image functor
associated to $f$ is full.
The codirect image function
associated to $f$ is full.
The direct image functor
associated to $f$ is fully faithful.
The inverse image functor
associated to $f$ is essentially surjective.
The codirect image functor
associated to $f$ is fully faithful.
The diagram
for each $a\in A$.
We have
for each $U\in \mathcal{P}(A)$.
We have
for each $U\in \mathcal{P}(A)$.
Interaction With Composition. Let $f\colon A\to B$ and $g\colon B\to C$ be functions.
If $f$ and $g\circ f$ are injective, then $f$ may fail to be injective.
The class of injective functions does not satisfy the two-out-of-three property of .
Interaction With Identities. For any set $A$, the identity function $\operatorname {\mathrm{id}}_{A}$ is injective.
For each $U,V\in \mathcal{P}(A)$, if $f_{!}(U)=f_{!}(V)$, then $U=V$.
For each $U,V\in \mathcal{P}(A)$, if $f_{*}(U)=f_{*}(V)$, then $U=V$.
For each $U,V\in \mathcal{P}(A)$, if $f_{!}(U)\subset f_{!}(V)$, then $U\subset V$.
For each $U,V\in \mathcal{P}(A)$, if $f_{*}(U)\subset f_{*}(V)$, then $U\subset V$.
We claim that Item 1a and Item 1b are equivalent:
Item 1a$\implies $Item 1b: We proceed in a few steps:
Proceeding by contrapositive, we claim that given a pair of maps $g,h\colon C\rightrightarrows A$ such that $g\neq h$, we have $f\circ g\neq f\circ h$.
Indeed, as $g$ and $h$ are different maps, there must exist at least one element $x\in C$ such that $g(x)\neq h(x)$.
But then we have $f(g(x))\neq f(h(x))$, as $f$ is injective.
Thus $f\circ g\neq f\circ h$, and we are done.
Item 1b$\implies $Item 1a: We proceed in a few steps:
Consider the diagram
Note that we have $f(x)=f(y)$ iff $f\circ [x]=f\circ [y]$.
Since $f$ is assumed to be a monomorphism, if $f(x)=f(y)$, then $f\circ [x]=f\circ [y]$ and therefore $[x]=[y]$.
This shows that if $f(x)=f(y)$, then $x=y$, so $f$ is injective.
Omitted.
We claim that Item 1a and Item 1d are indeed equivalent:
Item 1a$\implies $Item 1d: We proceed in a few steps:
Assume that $f$ is injective and let $U,V\in \mathcal{P}(A)$ such that $f_{!}(U)=f_{!}(V)$. We wish to show that $U=V$.
To show that $U\subset V$, let $u\in U$.
By the definition of the direct image, we have $f(u)\in f_{!}(U)$.
Since $f_{!}(U)=f_{!}(V)$, it follows that $f(u)\in f_{!}(V)$.
Thus, there exists some $v\in V$ such that $f(v)=f(u)$.
Since $f$ is injective, the equality $f(v)=f(u)$ implies that $v=u$.
Thus $u\in V$ and $U\subset V$.
A symmetric argument shows that $V\subset U$.
Therefore $U=V$, showing $f_{!}$ to be injective.
Item 1d$\implies $Item 1a: We proceed in a few steps:
Assume that the direct image function $f_{!}$ is injective and let $a,a'\in A$ such that $f(a)=f(a')$. We wish to show that $a=a'$.
Since
we must have $\left\{ a\right\} =\left\{ a'\right\} $, as $f_{!}$ is injective, so $a=a'$, showing $f$ to be injective.
This follows from Item 17 of Proposition 4.6.1.1.5.
We claim that Item 1d and Item 1g are equivalent:
Item 1d$\implies $Item 1g: We proceed in a few steps:
Let $U,V\in \mathcal{P}(A)$ such that $f_{!}(U)\subset f_{!}(V)$, assume $f_{!}$ to be injective, and consider the set $U\cup V$.
Since $f_{!}(U)\subset f_{!}(V)$, we have
where we have used Item 5 of Proposition 4.6.1.1.5 for the first equality.
Since $f_{!}$ is injective, this implies $U\cup V=V$.
Thus $U\subset V$, as we wished to show.
Item 1d$\implies $Item 1g: We proceed in a few steps:
Suppose Item 1g holds, and let $U,V\in \mathcal{P}(A)$ such that $f_{!}(U)=f_{!}(V)$.
Since $f_{!}(U)=f_{!}(V)$, we have $f_{!}(U)\subset f_{!}(V)$ and $f_{!}(V)\subset f_{!}(U)$.
By assumption, this implies $U\subset V$ and $V\subset U$.
Thus $U=V$, showing $f_{!}$ to be injective.
This follows from Item 17 of Proposition 4.6.1.1.5.
We have
so the condition $f^{-1}(f(a))=\left\{ a\right\} $ states precisely that if $f(a')=f(a)$, then $a'=a$.
We claim that Item 1l and Item 1m are indeed equivalent:
Item 1l$\implies $Item 1m: We have
for each $U\in \mathcal{P}(A)$, where we have used Item 5 of Proposition 4.6.1.1.5 for the third equality and Item 5 of Proposition 4.6.2.1.3 for the fourth equality.
Item 1m$\implies $Item 1l: Applying the condition $f^{-1}\circ f_{!}=\operatorname {\mathrm{id}}_{\mathcal{P}(A)}$ to $U=\left\{ a\right\} $ gives
We claim that Item 1a and Item 1n are equivalent:
Item 1a$\implies $Item 1n: If $f$ is injective, then $f^{-1}(f(a))=\left\{ a\right\} $, so we have
Item 1n$\implies $Item 1a: For $U=\left\{ a\right\} $, the condition $f^{-1}(f_{*}(U))=U$ becomes
Since the set $f^{-1}(f(a'))$ is given by
it follows that $f$ is injective.
This finishes the proof.
Given $U\in \mathcal{P}(A)$, we must show there exists some $V\in \mathcal{P}(B)$ such that $f^{-1}(V)=U$. Choosing $V=f_{!}(U)$, it follows from Item 1m that we have $f^{-1}(f_{!}(U))=U$. Thus $f^{-1}$ is surjective.
We proceed in a few steps:
Suppose that $f^{-1}$ is surjective and let $a,a'\in A$ with $f(a)=f(a')$.
Since $f^{-1}$ is surjective, there exists some $V\in \mathcal{P}(B)$ such that $f^{-1}(V)=\left\{ a\right\} $.
This means that $x\in \left\{ a\right\} $ iff $f(a)\in V$.
Since $f(a)=f(a')$, we have $f(a')\in V$.
This means that $a'\in \left\{ a\right\} $, so we must have $a=a'$.
Thus $f$ is injective.
This finishes the proof.
This follows from the fact that $\mathcal{P}(B)$ is locally posetal.
This follows from the fact that $\mathcal{P}(A)$ is locally posetal.
This follows from the fact that $\mathcal{P}(B)$ is locally posetal.
Item 2a: Suppose $f$ and $g$ injective and let $a,a'\in A$ such that $[g\circ f](a)=[g\circ f](a')$. Then $g(f(a)) = g(f(a'))$, so by injectivity of $g$, we have $f(a) = f(a')$, and by injectivity of $f$, we have $a = a'$. Thus $g \circ f$ is injective.
Item 2b: Suppose $g\circ f$ is injective and let $a,a'\in A$ such that $f(a) = f(a')$. We have
so by the injectivity of $g\circ f$, we have $a = a'$. Thus $f$ must be injective.
Item 2c: Let:
$A=\left\{ 1\right\} $;
$B=\left\{ p,q\right\} $;
$C=\left\{ z\right\} $;
$f(1)=p$;
$g(p)=z$ and $g(q)=z$.
Since $A$ is a singleton set, the functions $f$ and $g\circ f$ are trivially injective. However, $g(p)=g(q)$ while $p\neq q$, so $g$ fails to be injective.
This finishes the proof.
so $\operatorname {\mathrm{id}}_{A}$ is injective.