In Class 12 mathematics, an equivalence class refers to a concept in set theory and mathematical logic that arises from the notion of equivalence relations. Here's a breakdown:
1. **Equivalence Relation:** This is a relationship between elements of a set that satisfies three properties:
- **Reflexivity:** Every element is related to itself.
- **Symmetry:** If one element is related to another, then the second element is related to the first.
- **Transitivity:** If one element is related to a second element, and that second element is related to a third element, then the first element is related to the third.
2. **Equivalence Class:** Given an equivalence relation on a set, an equivalence class is a subset of elements that are all related to each other by the equivalence relation. For any element in the set, the equivalence class of that element includes all elements that are related to it.
For example, if we have a set \( A \) and an equivalence relation \( \sim \) on \( A \), then the equivalence class of an element \( a \in A \) is defined as:
\[
[a] = \{ x \in A \mid x \sim a \}
\]
This means \( [a] \) is the set of all elements in \( A \) that are equivalent to \( a \).
3. **Example:** Consider the set of integers \( \mathbb{Z} \) and the equivalence relation "having the same parity" (i.e., being either both even or both odd). The equivalence classes under this relation are:
- The set of all even integers.
- The set of all odd integers.
In this case, the equivalence class of any even integer would be the set of all even integers, and the equivalence class of any odd integer would be the set of all odd integers.
Equivalence classes partition the set into disjoint subsets where each subset contains elements that are considered equivalent under the given relation.