Partially ordered sets, and minimal systems of counterexamples (Q5895408)

Given an isotone map f: \(A\to B\) of finite partially ordered sets (where, for instance, A might consist of symbols for elements of the partially ordered set B, and the relations among elements of A might be a set of relations known to occur in B), it is noted that there is a least set of non-relations f(x)\(\nleq f(y)\) that must be established to conclude that elements of f(A) satisfy no relations other than those holding among the elements of A. The elements x occurring on the left-hand sides of these relations are precisely the join-irreducible elements of A, and the elements y on the right-hand sides are the meet-irreducibles. This set of test cases can in general be cut down still further if algebraic structure is involved; e.g., if f is a homomorphism of partially ordered semigroups. These observations generalize arguments used by D. Pigozzi and others in studying the partially ordered semigroups of operators on classes of algebras in various varieties generated by the operators H (closure under homomorphic images), S (closure under subalgebras) and P (closure under products), and related semigroups. Some Appendices discuss, inter alia, the lattice of ``epimorphs'' of a general partially ordered set, and a faithful representation of the semigroup \(<H,S,P>\) by increasing maps on the union of a 2-element and a 3-element chain.