On distances and metrics in discrete ordered sets

TL;DR

This paper explores various ways to define distances in discrete partially ordered sets, examining conditions like semimodularity that influence the properties of these distances, including the triangle inequality.

Contribution

It characterizes when different distance functions in discrete ordered sets satisfy the triangle inequality, linking this to semimodularity conditions.

Findings

Semimodularity ensures good behavior of distances in semilattices.

Triangle inequality is equivalent to semimodularity for many distance functions.

Trees trivially satisfy the semimodularity condition.

Abstract

Discrete partially ordered sets can be turned into distance spaces in several ways. The distance functions may or may not satisfy the triangle inequality, and restriction of the distance to finite chains may or may not coincide with the natural, difference-of-height distance measured in a chain. For semilattices, a semimodularity condition ensures the good behavior of the distances considered. This condition is trivially satisfied by trees, and in lattices it coincides with the usual semimodularity property. For a large class of distance functions the triangle inequality is equivalent to semimodularity.