8.5.11 Epimorphisms and 2-Categorical Epimorphisms

In this section, we characterise:

More specifically:

Essentially, an epimorphism $R\colon A\mathrel {\rightarrow \kern -9.5pt\mathrlap {|}\kern 6pt}B$ in $\mathsf{Rel}$ looks like this:

In particular:

  1. 1.

    $R$ should contain a surjection $f\colon A\twoheadrightarrow B$.

  2. 2.

    $R$ doesn’t need to be injective, so $R$ can map different elements of $A$ to the same element of $B$.

  3. 3.

    $R$ can be non-functional, mapping elements of $A$ to multiple elements of $B$.

  4. 4.

    $R$ can be non-total, so $R$ doesn’t need to be defined on all of $A$.

  5. 5.

    For each $b\in B$, there must exist some $a\in A$ with $R(a)=\left\{ b\right\} $.

Moreover, if $R$ is functional, then being an epimorphism is equivalent to being surjective.


  1. 1Summary: As it turns out, every 1-morphism in $\boldsymbol {\mathsf{Rel}}$ is representably faithful and most other notions of 2-categorical epimorphism agree with the usual (1-categorical) notion of epimorphism.

Let $R\colon A\mathrel {\rightarrow \kern -9.5pt\mathrlap {|}\kern 6pt}B$ be a relation. The following conditions are equivalent:1

  1. 1.

    The relation $R$ is an epimorphism in $\mathsf{Rel}$.

  2. 2.

    The direct image function

    \[ R_{!}\colon \mathcal{P}(A)\to \mathcal{P}(B) \]

    associated to $R$ is surjective.

  3. 3.

    The coinverse image function

    \[ R_{-1}\colon \mathcal{P}(B)\to \mathcal{P}(A) \]

    associated to $R$ is injective.

  4. 4.

    The inverse image function

    \[ R^{-1}\colon \mathcal{P}(B)\to \mathcal{P}(A) \]

    associated to $R$ is injective.

  5. 5.

    The codirect image function

    \[ R_{*}\colon \mathcal{P}(A)\to \mathcal{P}(B) \]

    associated to $R$ is surjective.

  6. 6.

    The coinverse image functor

    \[ R_{-1}\colon (\mathcal{P}(B),\subset )\to (\mathcal{P}(A),\subset ) \]

    associated to $R$ is full.

  7. 7.

    The inverse image functor

    \[ R^{-1}\colon (\mathcal{P}(B),\subset )\to (\mathcal{P}(A),\subset ) \]

    associated to $R$ is full.

  8. 8.

    The direct image functor

    \[ R_{!}\colon (\mathcal{P}(A),\subset )\to (\mathcal{P}(B),\subset ) \]

    associated to $R$ is essentially surjective.

  9. 9.

    The coinverse image functor

    \[ R_{-1}\colon (\mathcal{P}(B),\subset )\to (\mathcal{P}(A),\subset ) \]

    associated to $R$ is fully faithful.

  10. 10.

    The inverse image functor

    \[ R^{-1}\colon (\mathcal{P}(B),\subset )\to (\mathcal{P}(A),\subset ) \]

    associated to $R$ is fully faithful.

  11. 11.

    The codirect image functor

    \[ R_{*}\colon (\mathcal{P}(A),\subset )\to (\mathcal{P}(B),\subset ) \]

    associated to $R$ is essentially surjective.

  12. 12.

    For each pair of relations $S,T\colon B\mathrel {\rightrightarrows \kern -9.5pt\mathrlap {|}\kern 6pt}X$, the following condition is satisfied:

    • (★)
    • If $S\mathbin {\diamond }R\subset T\mathbin {\diamond }R$, then $S\subset T$.
  13. 13.

    There exists an injective function $f\colon B\hookrightarrow A$ satisfying the following conditions:2

    1. (a)

      We have $\operatorname {\mathrm{Gr}}(f)\subset R^{\dagger }$.3

    2. (b)

      The diagram

      commutes.4

  14. 14.

    We have

    In other words, we have

    \[ U=\underbrace{\left\{ b\in B\ \middle |\ R^{-1}(b)\subset R^{-1}(U)\right\} }_{=R_{*}(R^{-1}(U))} \]

    for each $U\in \mathcal{P}(B)$.

  15. 15.

    We have

    In other words, we have

    \[ U=\underbrace{\left\{ b\in B\ \middle |\ \begin{aligned} & \text{there exists some $a\in R^{-1}(b)$}\\ & \text{such that we have $R(a)\subset U$}\end{aligned}\right\} }_{=R_{!}(R_{-1}(U))} \]

    for each $U\in \mathcal{P}(B)$.


  1. 1Item 4, Item 3, Item 7, and Item 6 unwind respectively to the following statements:
    • For each $U,V\in \mathcal{P}(B)$, if $R^{-1}(U)=R^{-1}(V)$, then $U=V$.

    • For each $U,V\in \mathcal{P}(B)$, if $R_{-1}(U)=R_{-1}(V)$, then $U=V$.

    • For each $U,V\in \mathcal{P}(B)$, if $R^{-1}(U)\subset R^{-1}(V)$, then $U\subset V$.

    • For each $U,V\in \mathcal{P}(B)$, if $R_{-1}(U)\subset R_{-1}(V)$, then $U\subset V$.

  2. 2We are assuming the axiom of choice for this item (Item 13).
  3. 3In other words, for each $b\in B$, we have $f(b)\in R^{-1}(b)$.
  4. 4In other words, for each $b\in B$, we have $R(f(b))=\left\{ b\right\} $.

We will prove this by showing:

Step 1: Item 4$\iff $Item 3 and Item 6$\iff $Item 7
This follows from Item 17 of Proposition 8.7.3.1.3.

Step 2: Proof of Item 1$\iff $Item 2
We defer this proof to Corollary 8.5.11.1.6.

Step 3: First Proof of Item 1$\iff $Item 4
We claim that Item 1 and Item 4 are equivalent:

  • Item 1$\implies $Item 4: Let $U,V\in \mathcal{P}(B)$ and consider the diagram

    By Remark 8.7.1.1.3, we have

    \begin{align*} R^{-1}(U) & = U\mathbin {\diamond }R,\\ R^{-1}(V) & = V\mathbin {\diamond }R. \end{align*}

    Now, if $U\mathbin {\diamond }R=V\mathbin {\diamond }R$, i.e. $R^{-1}(U)=R^{-1}(V)$, then $U=V$ since $R$ is assumed to be an epimorphism, showing $R^{-1}$ to be injective.

  • Item 4$\implies $Item 1: Conversely, suppose that $R^{-1}$ is injective, consider the diagram

    and suppose that $S\mathbin {\diamond }R=T\mathbin {\diamond }R$. Note that, since $R^{-1}$ is injective, given a diagram of the form
    if $R^{-1}(U)=U\mathbin {\diamond }R=V\mathbin {\diamond }R=R^{-1}(V)$, then $U=V$. In particular, for each $x\in X$, we may consider the diagram
    for which we have $[x]\mathbin {\diamond }S\mathbin {\diamond }R=[x]\mathbin {\diamond }T\mathbin {\diamond }R$, implying that we have

    \[ S^{-1}(x)=[x]\mathbin {\diamond }S=[x]\mathbin {\diamond }T=T^{-1}(x) \]

    for each $x\in X$. Thus $S=T$ and $R$ is an epimorphism.

Step 3.5: Second Proof of Item 1$\iff $Item 4
A more abstract proof can also be given, following [Yuan, Mono's and epi's in the category Rel?]:

  • Item 1$\implies $Item 4: Assume that $R$ is an epimorphism.

    • We first notice that the functor $\mathrm{Rel}(-,\mathrm{pt})\colon \mathrm{Rel}^{\mathsf{op}}\to \mathsf{Sets}$ maps $R$ to $R^{-1}$ by Remark 8.7.3.1.2.

    • Since $\mathrm{Rel}(-,\mathrm{pt})$ preserves limits by Unresolved reference, Unresolved reference of Unresolved reference, it follows by Unresolved reference, Unresolved reference of Unresolved reference that $\mathrm{Rel}(-,\mathrm{pt})$ also preserves epimorphisms.

    • That is: $\mathrm{Rel}(-,\mathrm{pt})$ sends epimorphisms in $\mathrm{Rel}^{\mathsf{op}}$ to epimorphisms in $\mathsf{Sets}$.

    • The epimorphisms $\mathrm{Rel}^{\mathsf{op}}$ are precisely the epimorphisms in $\mathrm{Rel}$ by Unresolved reference, Unresolved reference of Unresolved reference.

    • Since $R$ is an epimorphism and $\mathrm{Rel}(-,\mathrm{pt})$ maps $R$ to $R^{-1}$, it follows that $R^{-1}$ is an epimorphism.

    • Since the epimorphisms in $\mathsf{Sets}$ are precisely the injections (Unresolved reference, Unresolved reference of Unresolved reference), it follows that $R^{-1}$ is injective.

  • Item 4$\implies $Item 1: Assume that $R^{-1}$ is injective.

    • We first notice that the functor $\mathrm{Rel}(-,\mathrm{pt})\colon \mathrm{Rel}^{\mathsf{op}}\to \mathsf{Sets}$ maps $R$ to $R^{-1}$ by Remark 8.7.3.1.2.

    • Since the epimorphisms in $\mathsf{Sets}$ are precisely the injections (Unresolved reference, Unresolved reference of Unresolved reference), it follows that $R^{-1}$ is an epimorphism.

    • Since $\mathrm{Rel}(-,\mathrm{pt})$ is faithful, it follows by Unresolved reference, Unresolved reference of Unresolved reference that $\mathrm{Rel}(,\mathrm{pt})$ reflects epimorphisms.

    • That is: $\mathrm{Rel}(-,\mathrm{pt})$ reflects epimorphisms in $\mathsf{Sets}$ to epimorphisms in $\mathrm{Rel}^{\mathsf{op}}$.

    • The epimorphisms $\mathrm{Rel}^{\mathsf{op}}$ are precisely the epimorphisms in $\mathrm{Rel}$ by Unresolved reference, Unresolved reference of Unresolved reference.

    • Since $R^{-1}$ is an epimorphism and $\mathrm{Rel}(-,\mathrm{pt})$ maps $R$ to $R^{-1}$, it follows that $R$ is an epimorphism.

Step 4: Item 4$\iff $Item 7
We claim that Item 4 and Item 7 are equivalent:

  • Item 4$\implies $Item 7: We proceed in a few steps:

    • Let $U,V\in \mathcal{P}(B)$ such that $R^{-1}(U)\subset R^{-1}(V)$, assume $R^{-1}$ to be injective, and consider the set $U\cup V$.

    • Since $R^{-1}(U)\subset R^{-1}(V)$, we have

      \begin{align*} R^{-1}(U\cup V) & = R^{-1}(U)\cup R^{-1}(V)\\ & = R^{-1}(V), \end{align*}

      where we have used Unresolved reference of Unresolved reference for the first equality.

    • Since $R^{-1}$ is injective, this implies $U\cup V=V$.

    • Thus $U\subset V$, as we wished to show.

  • Item 4$\implies $Item 7: We proceed in a few steps:

    • Suppose Item 7 holds, and let $U,V\in \mathcal{P}(B)$ such that $R^{-1}(U)=R^{-1}(V)$.

    • Since $R^{-1}(U)=R^{-1}(V)$, we have $R^{-1}(U)\subset R^{-1}(V)$ and $R^{-1}(V)\subset R^{-1}(U)$.

    • By assumption, this implies $U\subset V$ and $V\subset U$.

    • Thus $U=V$, showing $R^{-1}$ to be injective.

Step 5: Item 2$\iff $Item 8
This follows from the fact that $\mathcal{P}(B)$ is locally posetal.

Step 6: Item 3$\iff $Item 9
This follows from the fact that $\mathcal{P}(A)$ is locally posetal.

Step 7: Item 4$\iff $Item 10
This follows from the fact that $\mathcal{P}(A)$ is locally posetal.

Step 8: Item 5$\iff $Item 11
This follows from the fact that $\mathcal{P}(B)$ is locally posetal.

Step 9: Item 7$\iff $Item 12
We claim that Item 7 and Item 12 are equivalent:

  • Item 7$\implies $Item 12: Let $U,V\in \mathcal{P}(B)$ and consider the diagram

    By Remark 8.7.3.1.2, we have

    \begin{align*} R^{-1}(U) & = U\mathbin {\diamond }R,\\ R^{-1}(V) & = V\mathbin {\diamond }R. \end{align*}

    Now, if $U\mathbin {\diamond }R\subset V\mathbin {\diamond }R$, then $R^{-1}(U)\subset R^{-1}(V)$. By assumption, we then have $U\subset V$.

  • Item 12$\implies $Item 7: Consider the diagram

    and suppose that $S\mathbin {\diamond }R\subset T\mathbin {\diamond }R$. Note that, by assumption, given a diagram of the form
    if $R^{-1}(U)=R\mathbin {\diamond }U\subset R\mathbin {\diamond }V=R^{-1}(V)$, then $U\subset V$. In particular, for each $x\in X$, we may consider the diagram
    for which we have $[x]\mathbin {\diamond }S\mathbin {\diamond }R\subset [x]\mathbin {\diamond }T\mathbin {\diamond }R$, implying that we have

    \[ S^{-1}(x)=[x]\mathbin {\diamond }S\subset [x]\mathbin {\diamond }T=T^{-1}(x) \]

    for each $x\in X$, implying $S\subset T$.

This finishes the proof.

Step 10: Item 1$\iff $Item 13
We defer this proof to Corollary 8.5.11.1.4.

Step 11: Item 1$\iff $Item 14
We defer this proof to Corollary 8.5.11.1.4.

Step 12: Item 1$\iff $Item 15
We defer this proof to Corollary 8.5.11.1.5.

Let $R\colon A\mathrel {\rightarrow \kern -9.5pt\mathrlap {|}\kern 6pt}B$ be a relation. The following conditions are equivalent:

  1. 1.

    The relation $R$ is an epimorphism in $\mathsf{Rel}$.

  2. 2.

    For each $b\in B$ and each $U\in \mathcal{P}(B)$, if $R^{-1}(b)\subset R^{-1}(U)$, then $b\in U$.

  3. 3.

    For each $b\in B$, there exists some $a\in A$ such that $R(a)=\left\{ b\right\} $.

Moreover, if $R$ is an epimorphism, then it is surjective, and the converse holds if $R$ is functional.

We will prove this by showing:

Step 1: Item 1$\implies $Item 2
We proceed in a few steps:

  • If $R$ is an epimorphism, then, by Item 4 of Proposition 8.5.11.1.2, the functor

    \[ R^{-1}\colon (\mathcal{P}(A),\subset )\to (\mathcal{P}(B),\subset ) \]

    is full.

  • As a result, given $b\in B$ and $U\in \mathcal{P}(B)$ such that $R^{-1}(b)\subset R^{-1}(U)$, it follows that $\left\{ b\right\} \subset U$.

  • Thus, we have $b\in U$.

Step 2: Item 2$\implies $Item 3
We proceed in a few steps:

  • Let $b\in B$ and consider the subset $U=B\setminus \left\{ b\right\} $.

  • Since $b\not\in U$, we have $R^{-1}(b)\centernot {\subset }R^{-1}(U)$ by the contrapositve of Item 2.

  • As a result, there must exist some $a\in R^{-1}(b)$ with $a\not\in R^{-1}(U)$.

  • In particular, we have $b\in R(a)$.

  • Moreover, the condition $a\not\in R^{-1}(U)=R^{-1}(B\setminus \left\{ b\right\} )$ means that, if $b'\in B\setminus \left\{ b\right\} $, then $b'\not\in R(a)$.

  • Thus $R(a)=\left\{ b\right\} $.

Step 3: Item 3$\implies $Item 1
We proceed in a few steps:

  • By the equivalence between Item 1 and Item 7 of Proposition 8.5.11.1.2, to show that $R$ is an epimorphism it suffices to prove that, for each $U,V\in \mathcal{P}(B)$, if $R^{-1}(U)\subset R^{-1}(V)$, then $U\subset V$.

  • So let $u\in U$ and assume $R^{-1}(U)\subset R^{-1}(V)$.

  • By assumption, there exists some $a\in A$ with $R(a)=\left\{ u\right\} $.

  • In particular, $a\in R^{-1}(U)$.

  • Since $R^{-1}(U)\subset R^{-1}(V)$, we also have $a\in R^{-1}(V)$.

  • Thus, there exists some $v\in V$ with $a\in R(v)$.

  • However, $R(a)=\left\{ u\right\} $, so we must in fact have $v=u$.

  • Therefore $u\in V$, showing that $U\subset V$.

Step 4: Proof of the Second Half of Proposition 8.5.11.1.3
We claim that $R$ being an epimorphism implies surjectivity, and the converse holds if $R$ is functional:

  • If $R$ Is an Epimorphism, Then $R$ Is Surjective: Consider the diagram

    where $b\sim _{S}0$ for each $b\in B$ and where we have

    \[ b\sim _{T}\begin{cases} 0 & \text{if $b\in \mathrm{Im}(R)$,}\\ 1 & \text{otherwise} \end{cases} \]

    for each $b\in B$.

    • We claim that $S\mathbin {\diamond }R=T\mathbin {\diamond }R$:

      • If $R(a)=\text{Ø}$, then

        \begin{align*} [S\mathbin {\diamond }R](a) & = \text{Ø}\\ [T\mathbin {\diamond }R](a) & = \text{Ø}\end{align*}

        by the definition of relational composition, so $[S\mathbin {\diamond }R](a)=[T\mathbin {\diamond }R](a)$.

      • If $R(a)\neq \text{Ø}$, then we have $a\sim _{S\mathbin {\diamond }R}0$ and $a\sim _{T\mathbin {\diamond }R}0$ by the definition of $S$ and $T$, with no element of $A$ being related to $1$ by $S\mathbin {\diamond }R$ or $T\mathbin {\diamond }R$.

    • Now, since $R$ is an epimorphism, we have $S=T$.

    • However, by the definition of $T$, this implies $\mathrm{Im}(R)=B$.

    • Thus $R$ is surjective.

  • If $R$ Is Functional and Surjective, Then $R$ Is an Epimorphism: Let $U,V\in \mathcal{P}(B)$, consider the diagram

    where $R_{-1}(U)=R_{-1}(V)$, and let $b\in U$.

    • By surjectivity, there exists some $a\in A$ such that $a\in R^{-1}(b)$.

    • Since $R_{-1}(U)=R_{-1}(V)$, if $R(a)\subset U$, then $R(a)\subset V$.

    • Since $R$ is functional, we have $R(a)=\left\{ b\right\} $, so $R(a)\subset U$.

    • Thus, $R(a)\subset V$, and $b\in V$.

    • A similar argument shows that if $b\in V$, then $b\in U$.

    • Thus $U=V$, showing $R_{-1}$ to be injective.

    • By the equivalence between Item 1 and Item 3 of Proposition 8.5.11.1.2, this shows $R$ to be an epimorphism.

This finishes the proof.

We claim that Item 3 of Proposition 8.5.11.1.3 is equivalent to Item 13 of Proposition 8.5.11.1.2:

  • Item 3 of Proposition 8.5.11.1.3$\implies $Item 13: By assumption, given $b\in B$, there exists some $a\in A$ such that $R(a)=\left\{ b\right\} $. Invoking the axiom of choice, we may pick one such $a$ for each $b\in B$, giving us our desired function $f\colon B\to A$. All the requirements listed in Item 13 then follow by construction.

  • Item 13$\implies $Item 3 of Proposition 8.5.11.1.3: Given $b\in B$, we may pick $a=f(b)$, in which case $R(f(b))$ will be equal to $\left\{ b\right\} $ by assumption.

By Proposition 8.5.11.1.3, Item 3 of Proposition 8.5.11.1.3 is equivalent to Item 1 of Proposition 8.5.11.1.3. Since Item 1 of Proposition 8.5.11.1.3 is exactly the same condition as Item 1 of Proposition 8.5.11.1.2, the result follows.

Indeed, we have

\begin{align*} [R_{*}\circ R^{-1}](U) & \mathrel {\smash {\overset {\mathclap {\scriptscriptstyle \text{def}}}=}}R_{*}(R^{-1}(U))\\ & \mathrel {\smash {\overset {\mathclap {\scriptscriptstyle \text{def}}}=}}\left\{ b\in B\ \middle |\ R^{-1}(b)\subset R^{-1}(U)\right\} \end{align*}

for each $U\in \mathcal{P}(B)$. As a result, the condition $R_{*}\circ R^{-1}=\operatorname {\mathrm{id}}_{\mathcal{P}(B)}$ becomes

\[ \left\{ b\in B\ \middle |\ R^{-1}(b)\subset R^{-1}(U)\right\} =U, \]

which holds precisely when Item 2 of Proposition 8.5.11.1.3 does. By Proposition 8.5.11.1.3, that in turn holds precisely if Item 1 of Proposition 8.5.11.1.3 holds. Since Item 1 of Proposition 8.5.11.1.3 is exactly the same condition as Item 1 of Proposition 8.5.11.1.2, the result follows.

Item 1$\implies $Item 15
To show that $R$ is an epimorphism, we will prove that for each $b\in B$, there exists some $a\in A$ such that $R(a)=\left\{ b\right\} $. The will then follow from Item 3 of Proposition 8.5.11.1.3.

  • Let $b\in B$ and consider $U=\left\{ b\right\} $.

  • By assumption, we have $U=R_{!}(R_{-1}(U))$.

  • In particular, this means that $b\in R_{!}(R_{-1}(\left\{ b\right\} ))$.

  • Unwinding the definition, this means there exists some $a\in R^{-1}(b)$ such that $R(a)\subset \left\{ b\right\} $.

    • The condition $a\in R^{-1}(b)$ implies that $b\in R(a)$.

    • The condition $R(a)\subset \left\{ b\right\} $ implies that every element of $R(a)$ must be $b$.

  • For $R(a)$ to be a non-empty subset of $\left\{ b\right\} $, it must be the case that $R(a)=\left\{ b\right\} $.

This completes the proof.

Item 15$\implies $Item 1
We wish to show that for any $U\in \mathcal{P}(B)$, we have $U = R_{!}(R_{-1}(U))$. This requires proving two set inclusions.

  • $R_{!}(R_{-1}(U))\subset U$: Let $b\in R_{!}(R_{-1}(U))$.

    • By definition, there exists an $a\in A$ such that $a\in R^{-1}(b)$ and $R(a)\subset U$.

    • The condition $a\in R^{-1}(b)$ means that $b\in R(a)$.

    • Since $b\in R(a)$ and $R(a)\subset U$, it follows directly that $b\in U$.

    • Therefore, $R_{!}(R_{-1}(U))\subset U$.

  • $U\subset R_{!}(R_{-1}(U))$: Let $b \in U$.

    • By Item 3 of Proposition 8.5.11.1.3, there exists an element $a\in A$ such that $R(a)=\left\{ b\right\} $.

    • We must verify that this choice of $a$ places $b$ into the set $R_{!}(R_{-1}(U))$. This requires checking two conditions:

      • $a\in R^{-1}(b)$: Since $R(a)=\left\{ b\right\} $, we have $b\in R(a)$, which is equivalent to $a\in R^{-1}(b)$.

      • $R(a)\subset U$: Since $R(a)=\left\{ b\right\} $ and we assumed $b\in U$, we have $\left\{ b\right\} \subset U$, so the condition holds.

    • As both conditions are met, it follows that $b\in R_{!}(R_{-1}(U))$.

    • Therefore, $U\subset R_{!}(R_{-1}(U))$.

As both inclusions hold, we conclude that $U=R_{!}(R_{-1}(U))$, which is precisely the statement of Item 15.

Item 1$\implies $Item 2
We proceed in a few steps:

  • Suppose that $R$ is an epimorphism, and let $V\in \mathcal{P}(B)$.

  • To show that $R_{!}$ is surjective, We must find a subset $U\in \mathcal{P}(A)$ such that $R_{!}(U)=V$.

  • By Unresolved reference of Proposition 8.5.11.1.9, we have $R_{!}(R_{-1}(V))=V$.

  • Thus choosing $U=R_{-1}(V)$ shows $R_{!}$ to be surjective.

Item 2$\implies $Item 1
We proceed in a few steps:

  • Suppose $R_{!}$ is surjective, let $b\in B$ and Consider the singleton set $\left\{ b\right\} \in \mathcal{P}(B)$.

  • By the surjectivity of $R_{!}$, there must exist some subset $U\in \mathcal{P}(A)$ such that $R_{!}(U)=\left\{ b\right\} $. By definition, we have

    \[ R_{!}(U)=\bigcup _{a\in U}R(a). \]
  • The equality $\bigcup _{a\in U}R(a)=\left\{ b\right\} $ implies that for every $a\in U$, we must have $R(a)\subset \left\{ b\right\} $, and that there must exist at least one $a\in U$ for which $R(a)$ is non-empty.

  • Combining these, there must exist at least one $a\in U$ such that $R(a)=\left\{ b\right\} $.

  • By Item 3 of Proposition 8.5.11.1.3, $R$ is an epimorphism.

This finishes the proof.

The following conditions are equivalent and imply $R$ is an epimorphism, but the converse may fail. Thus, they are not equivalent to $R$ being an epimorphism:

  1. 1.

    The relation $R$ is a surjective partial function.

  2. 2.

    The diagram

    commutes. In other words, we have

    \[ R_{!}(R^{-1}(b))=\left\{ b\right\} \]

    for each $b\in B$.

  3. 3.

    We have

    In other words, we have

    \[ U=\underbrace{\left\{ b\in B\ \middle |\ R^{-1}(b)\cap R^{-1}(U)\neq \text{Ø}\right\} }_{=R_{!}(R^{-1}(U))} \]

    for each $U\in \mathcal{P}(B)$.

  4. 4.

    We have

    In other words, we have

    \[ U=\underbrace{\left\{ b\in B\ \middle |\ R(R^{-1}(b))\subset U\right\} }_{=R_{*}(R_{-1}(U))} \]

    for each $U\in \mathcal{P}(B)$.

First, note that the relation depicted in Explanation 8.5.11.1.1 is not a surjective partial function, but it is an epimorphism in $\mathsf{Rel}$ by Proposition 8.5.11.1.3, the next proposition. Moreover, partial surjective functions are epimorphisms by Proposition 8.5.11.1.3. For the rest of the proposition, we proceed by showing:

Step 1: Item 1$\iff $Item 2
Note that we have

\[ R_{!}(R^{-1}(b))\mathrel {\smash {\overset {\mathclap {\scriptscriptstyle \text{def}}}=}}\left\{ b'\in B\ \middle |\ R^{-1}(b')\cap R^{-1}(b)\neq \text{Ø}\right\} . \]

We now claim Item 1 and Item 2 are equivalent:

  • Item 1$\implies $Item 2: We proceed in a few steps:

    • Since $R$ is functional, $R^{-1}(b)$ has at most one element.

    • Since $R$ is surjective, $R^{-1}(b)$ has at least one element.

    • Thus, $R^{-1}(b)$ is a singleton.

    • The set $R(R^{-1}(b))$ will then be precisely $\left\{ b\right\} $.

  • Item 2$\implies $Item 1: We claim $R$ is functional and surjective.

    • Functionality. The inclusion

      \[ R_{!}(R^{-1}(b))\subset \left\{ b\right\} \]

      implies that if $a\in R(b')$ and $a\in R(b)$, then $b=b'$. Thus $R$ must be functional.

    • Surjectivity. The inclusion

      \[ \left\{ b\right\} \subset R_{!}(R^{-1}(b)) \]

      implies $R^{-1}(b)\neq \text{Ø}$, so $R$ must be surjective.

    Since $R$ is functional and surjective, it is a surjective partial function.

Step 2: Item 2$\implies $Item 3
We have

\begin{align*} [R_{!}\circ R^{-1}](U) & \mathrel {\smash {\overset {\mathclap {\scriptscriptstyle \text{def}}}=}}R_{!}(R^{-1}(U))\\ & = R_{!}\left(R^{-1}\left(\bigcup _{u\in U}\left\{ u\right\} \right)\right)\\ & = R_{!}\left(\bigcup _{u\in U}R^{-1}(\left\{ u\right\} )\right)\\ & = \bigcup _{u\in U}R_{!}(R^{-1}(\left\{ u\right\} ))\\ & = \bigcup _{u\in U}\left\{ u\right\} \\ & = U \end{align*}

for each $U\in \mathcal{P}(B)$, where we have used:

Step 3: Item 3$\implies $Item 2
Taking $U=\left\{ b\right\} $ gives $R_{!}(R^{-1}(b))=\left\{ b\right\} $.

Step 4: Item 2$\implies $Item 4
We have

\begin{align*} R_{*}(R_{-1}(U)) & = \left\{ b\in B\ \middle |\ R(R^{-1}(b))\subset U\right\} \\ & = \left\{ b\in B\ \middle |\ \left\{ b\right\} \subset U\right\} \\ & = U. \end{align*}

Step 5: Item 4$\implies $Item 1
Suppose that for each $U\in \mathcal{P}(B)$, we have $R_{*}(R_{-1}(U))=U$. We must show that $R$ is functional and surjective.

  • Functionality: We show that if $b,b'\in R(a)$, then $b=b'$.

    • Consider the singleton set $U=\left\{ b\right\} $. By the assumed identity, we have

      \[ \left\{ b\right\} =\left\{ b\in B\ \middle |\ R(R^{-1}(b))\subset \left\{ b\right\} \right\} . \]
    • Since $b$ is an element of the set on the left-hand side, it must satisfy the membership condition on the right-hand side. Thus, we have $R(R^{-1}(b))\subset \left\{ b\right\} $.

    • By assumption, $b\in R(a)$, which implies $a\in R^{-1}(b)$.

    • By assumption, we also have $b'\in R(a)$.

    • Since $a\in R^{-1}(b)$, it follows that the image of $a$ is contained in the image of the set $R^{-1}(b)$, i.e., $R(a)\subset R(R^{-1}(b))$.

    • Combining these steps, we have $b'\in R(a)\subset R(R^{-1}(b))$.

    • As we established that $R(R^{-1}(b))\subset \left\{ b\right\} $, we must have $b'\in \left\{ b\right\} $.

    • Therefore, $b'=b$, which shows $R$ to be functional.

  • Surjectivity: We show that for each $b\in B$, the preimage set $R^{-1}(b)$ is non-empty.

    • Consider the empty set $U=\text{Ø}$. By the assumed identity, we have

      \[ \text{Ø}=\left\{ b\in B\ \middle |\ R(R^{-1}(b))\subset \text{Ø}\right\} . \]
    • The identity thus states that there is no element $b\in B$ for which $R(R^{-1}(b))$ is the empty set.

    • In other words, for each $b\in B$, we must have $R(R^{-1}(b))\neq \text{Ø}$.

    • The image of a set $R(S)$ is empty iff the set $S$ is empty.

    • Therefore, the condition $R(R^{-1}(b))\neq \text{Ø}$ is equivalent to the condition $R^{-1}(b)\neq \text{Ø}$.

    • Thus, $R$ is surjective.

Since $R$ is both functional and surjective, it is a surjective partial function. This finishes the proof.

Taking the contrapositive of Item 2 of Proposition 8.5.11.1.3 and letting $U=\left\{ b'\right\} $ shows that the subset

\[ \left\{ R^{-1}(b)\in \mathcal{P}(A)\ \middle |\ b\in B\right\} \]

of $\mathcal{P}(A)$ forms an antichain in $\mathcal{P}(A)$. The converse however, fails.

Every 1-morphism in $\boldsymbol {\mathsf{Rel}}$ is corepresentably faithful.

A relation $R\colon A\mathrel {\rightarrow \kern -9.5pt\mathrlap {|}\kern 6pt}B$ will be corepresentably faithful in $\boldsymbol {\mathsf{Rel}}$ iff, for each $X\in \operatorname {\mathrm{Obj}}(\boldsymbol {\mathsf{Rel}})$, the functor

\[ R^{*}\colon \mathbf{Rel}(B,X)\to \mathbf{Rel}(A,X) \]

given by precomposition by $R$ is faithful. This happens iff the morphism

\[ R^{*}_{S,T}\colon \operatorname {\mathrm{Hom}}_{\mathbf{Rel}(B,X)}(S,T)\to \operatorname {\mathrm{Hom}}_{\mathbf{Rel}(A,X)}(S\mathbin {\diamond }R,T\mathbin {\diamond }R) \]

is injective for each $S,T\in \operatorname {\mathrm{Obj}}(\mathbf{Rel}(B,X))$.

However, since $\boldsymbol {\mathsf{Rel}}$ is locally posetal, the Hom-set $\operatorname {\mathrm{Hom}}_{\mathbf{Rel}(B,X)}(S,T)$ is either empty or a singleton, As a result, the map $R^{*}_{S,T}$ will necessarily be injective in either of these cases.

Let $R\colon A\mathrel {\rightarrow \kern -9.5pt\mathrlap {|}\kern 6pt}B$ be a relation. The following conditions are equivalent:

  1. 1.

    The morphism $R\colon A\mathrel {\rightarrow \kern -9.5pt\mathrlap {|}\kern 6pt}B$ is an epimorphism in $\mathsf{Rel}$.

  2. 2.

    The 1-morphism $R\colon A\mathrel {\rightarrow \kern -9.5pt\mathrlap {|}\kern 6pt}B$ is corepresentably full in $\boldsymbol {\mathsf{Rel}}$.

  3. 3.

    The 1-morphism $R\colon A\mathrel {\rightarrow \kern -9.5pt\mathrlap {|}\kern 6pt}B$ is corepresentably fully faithful in $\boldsymbol {\mathsf{Rel}}$.

  4. 4.

    The 1-morphism $R\colon A\mathrel {\rightarrow \kern -9.5pt\mathrlap {|}\kern 6pt}B$ is pseudoepic in $\boldsymbol {\mathsf{Rel}}$.

  5. 5.

    The 1-morphism $R\colon A\mathrel {\rightarrow \kern -9.5pt\mathrlap {|}\kern 6pt}B$ is corepresentably essentially injective in $\boldsymbol {\mathsf{Rel}}$.

  6. 6.

    The 1-morphism $R\colon A\mathrel {\rightarrow \kern -9.5pt\mathrlap {|}\kern 6pt}B$ is corepresentably conservative in $\boldsymbol {\mathsf{Rel}}$.

We will prove this by showing:

Step 1: Item 1$\iff $Item 2
The condition that $R$ is representably full corresponds precisely to Item 12 of Proposition 8.5.11.1.2, so this follows by Proposition 8.5.11.1.2.

Step 2: Item 2$\iff $Item 3
This follows from Step 1 and Proposition 8.5.11.1.9.

Step 3: Item 3$\iff $Item 4$\iff $Item 5$\iff $Item 6
Since $\boldsymbol {\mathsf{Rel}}$ is locally posetal, the conditions in Item 4, Item 5, and Item 6 all collapse to the one of Item 3.


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