Definition:Quasimetric
Definition
A quasimetric on a set $X$ is a real-valued function $d: A \times A \to \R$ which satisfies the following conditions:
| \((\text M 1)\) | $:$ | \(\ds \forall x \in A:\) | \(\ds \map d {x, x} = 0 \) | |||||
| \((\text M 2)\) | $:$ | \(\ds \forall x, y, z \in A:\) | \(\ds \map d {x, y} + \map d {y, z} \ge \map d {x, z} \) | |||||
| \((\text M 4)\) | $:$ | \(\ds \forall x, y \in A:\) | \(\ds x \ne y \implies \map d {x, y} > 0 \) |
Note the numbering system of these conditions. They are numbered this way so as to retain consistency with the metric space axioms, of which these are a subset.
The difference between a quasimetric and a metric is that a quasimetric does not insist that the distance function between distinct elements is commutative, that is, that $\map d {x, y} = \map d {y, x}$.
Quasimetric Space
A quasimetric space $M = \struct {A, d}$ is an ordered pair consisting of a set $A \ne \O$ followed by a quasimetric $d: A \times A \to \R$ which acts on that set.
Also known as
A quasimetric on a quasimetric space can be referred to as a distance function in the same way as a metric on a metric space.
Also see
- Results about quasimetric spaces can be found here.
Sources
- 1978: Lynn Arthur Steen and J. Arthur Seebach, Jr.: Counterexamples in Topology (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Part $\text I$: Basic Definitions: Section $5$: Metric Spaces