In mathematics, a property is any characteristic that applies to a given set. Rigorously, a property p defined for all elements of a set X is usually defined as a function p: X → {true, false}, that is true whenever the property holds; or equivalently, as the subset of X for which p holds; i.e. the set {x | p(x) = true}; p is its indicator function. However, it may be objected that the rigorous definition defines merely the extension of a property, and says nothing about what causes the property to hold for exactly those values. Examples Of objects Parity is the property of an integer of whether it is even or odd. Of operations associative property commutative property of binary operations between real and complex numbers distributive property. See also Unary relation References Mathematical terminology Mathematical relations