In
mathematics, a
cyclic order is a way to arrange a set of objects in a
circle. Unlike most structures in
order theory, a cyclic order is not modeled as a
binary relation, such as "". One does not say that east is "more clockwise" than west. Instead, a cyclic order is defined as a
ternary relation , meaning "after , one reaches before ". For example, [June, October, February]. A ternary relation is called a cyclic order if it is cyclic, asymmetric, transitive, and total. Dropping the "total" requirement results in a
partial cyclic order.