1. Introduction
The Sheffer stroke, also known as the NAND operation, was introduced by Sheffer [
1] and is of central importance in algebraic logic due to its functional completeness, namely, the fact that every Boolean operation can be expressed solely in terms of this single connective. Motivated by this logical universality, Oner et al. developed the theory of Sheffer stroke BCK-algebras (SBCK-algebras) in [
2], where the Sheffer operation is embedded into a BCK-type algebraic framework. SBCK-algebras generalize classical BCK-algebras and provide an algebraic setting for studying non-classical logical operations induced by the Sheffer stroke.
On the other hand, the theory of fuzzy sets has undergone several important extensions in recent years in order to capture uncertainty more accurately. Among these, linear Diophantine fuzzy sets (LDFSs), introduced by Riaz and Hashmi [
3], constitute a significant generalization of classical fuzzy and intuitionistic fuzzy sets. In LDFSs, the membership and non-membership functions are controlled simultaneously by linear Diophantine constraints, offering greater flexibility and expressive power. This framework has proven particularly effective in modeling uncertainty in complex systems and has been successfully applied in decision-making problems and algebraic investigations.
Following the introduction of LDFSs, a growing body of research has focused on applying this concept to various algebraic structures. Kamacı [
4] initiated a systematic study of linear Diophantine fuzzy algebraic structures, laying foundational results and demonstrating how classical fuzzy algebraic notions can be generalized within the Diophantine framework. Subsequently, Muhiuddin et al. [
5] investigated linear Diophantine fuzzy sets in the context of BCK/BCI-algebras, establishing several characterizations of fuzzy subalgebras and ideals. Udten et al. [
6] studied the notions of translation and density of linear Diophantine-valued fuzzy sets in UP-algebras, further enriching the algebraic theory of Diophantine fuzzy structures. Al-Tahan et al. further extended this line of research to vector spaces [
7], ordered semigroups [
8], and polygroups [
9], where linear Diophantine fuzzy substructures were introduced, and their algebraic properties were thoroughly analyzed. Moreover, characterizations of semigroups via linear Diophantine anti-fuzzy bi-ideals were studied in [
10], highlighting the versatility of the Diophantine fuzzy approach across diverse algebraic systems.
These studies clearly demonstrate that the application of linear Diophantine fuzzy sets to algebraic structures is an active and well-developed research direction. Nevertheless, despite the extensive literature on Diophantine fuzzy substructures in various algebraic settings, the theory of SBCK-algebras has not yet been investigated from the perspective of linear Diophantine fuzzy logic.
Motivated by this observation, the present paper applies the framework of linear Diophantine fuzzy sets to SBCK-algebras. We introduce the notions of linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-subalgebras and linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-ideals, and we study their fundamental properties. In particular, we show that the level sets of linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-subalgebras are classical SBCK-subalgebras and, conversely, that every SBCK-subalgebra can be characterized via an appropriate linear Diophantine fuzzy structure. Furthermore, we establish that each linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-ideal induces a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-subalgebra, although the converse implication does not generally hold. We also examine the behavior of these fuzzy structures under homomorphisms and arbitrary intersections.
By integrating linear Diophantine fuzzy logic into the framework of SBCK-algebras, this work extends both the theory of SBCK-algebras and the applicability of Diophantine fuzzy methods, thereby contributing a new perspective to the study of uncertainty in non-classical algebraic systems.
3. Linear Diophantine Fuzzy Sets in Sheffer Stroke BCK-Algebras
In the following,
stands for a Sheffer stroke BCK-algebra unless otherwise stated, and it will be marked as
X. We will use the notation
instead of
for all
. A linear Diophantine fuzzy set (LDFS)
on
X is of the form
where
denote the degrees of membership and non-membership of
, respectively, and
are reference parameters associated with
x. These functions satisfy the conditions
for all
.
In this section, we investigate linear Diophantine fuzzy structures within the algebraic framework of Sheffer stroke BCK-algebras. In particular, by imposing suitable compatibility conditions between the Diophantine fuzzy components and the Sheffer stroke operation, we introduce and study linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-subalgebras and linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-ideals, and explore their fundamental properties and interrelations.
Definition 6. A linear Diophantine fuzzy set on X is called a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-subalgebra of X if Example 1. Let be an SBCK-algebra and let be an SBCK-subalgebra. Define a linear Diophantine fuzzy set on X byand choose the reference parametersFor arbitrary , we have - 1.
If , then by the SBCK-subalgebra property we have , and, hence, also . Therefore, The same relations hold for and because they coincide with and .
- 2.
If at least one of x or y is not in G, then and . As the values of and are only 0
and 1
, it follows immediately that and the same inequalities hold for and .
Thus, satisfies the conditions (
1)
; therefore, it is a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-subalgebra of X. Example 2. Moreover, as a trivial example, consider the one-element SBCK-algebra with , and let . Then,which forms a trivial but valid linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-subalgebra. Theorem 1. Letbe a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-subalgebra of an SBCK-algebra X. Then, for every , Proof. Let
be arbitrary. As
X is an SBCK-algebra, it satisfies the identity
where 0 denotes the zero element of
X.
Because
is a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-subalgebra of
X, Definition 6 ensures that for all
,
and analogous conditions hold for the reference parameters
and
.
Applying these conditions with
, we obtain
Using the identity
, it follows that
As
is an element of
X and
is order-preserving with respect to the SBCK operation, we conclude that
The same reasoning applies to the reference functions
and
, yielding
Therefore, each component of the linear Diophantine fuzzy structure
attains its extremal value at 0, and, consequently,
where the inequality is understood componentwise. □
Proposition 2. Let be a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-subalgebra of an SBCK-algebra X. Assume that for all ,Then,where the equality is understood componentwise. Proof. Let
be arbitrary. By Lemma 1 (6) and identity (2.2) of SBCK-algebras, we have
Applying assumption (
2) with
, we obtain
On the other hand, as
is a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-subalgebra of
X, Theorem 1 yields, for all
,
Combining the two sets of inequalities, we conclude that
for all
. Therefore,
as claimed. □
Definition 7. A linear Diophantine fuzzy set on X is called a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-ideal of X if Example 3. Let be an SBCK-algebra and let be an SBCK-ideal, that is,Define a linear Diophantine fuzzy set on X byand choose the reference parametersWe claim that is a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-ideal of X. Let be arbitrary. As , we have - 1.
If , then and . As and hold automatically, the required inequalities in the definition follow immediately. The same argument applies to and .
- 2.
If but , then, in particular, and . By the ideal property, from and the assumption that , we must have ; hence, Again, the same holds for and .
- 3.
If neither x nor y lies in I, then and . As all values are 0
or 1
, we trivially have and similarly for and . Hence, all four inequalities in the definition are satisfied.
Thus, the linear Diophantine fuzzy set satisfies the conditions of a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-ideal of X.
Lemma 3. If is a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-ideal of X, then Proof. Let
be a linear Diophantine fuzzy ideal of
X and
. Then,
. Hence, by Definition 7, we have
for all
. □
Theorem 2. Letbe a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-subalgebra of an SBCK-algebra X. Then, is a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-ideal of X if and only if the following condition holds: Proof. (⇒) Assume that
is a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-ideal of
X. Let
such that
. By the definition of the preorder ≼ on an SBCK-algebra, this implies that
As
is a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-ideal, Definition 7 yields
Using
and Theorem 1, we obtain
As
is a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-subalgebra, we also have
and similarly for
and
. Combining the above inequalities yields condition (
5).
(⇐) Conversely, assume that
satisfies condition (
5). By Theorem 1, for all
,
Let
. By Lemma 1 (10) and Lemma 1 (2), we can observe that
Hence,
Applying condition (
5), we obtain
Hence, is a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-ideal of X. □
Theorem 3. Every linear Diophantinefuzzy SBCK-ideal of X is a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-subalgebra of X.
Proof. Let
be a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-ideal of
X. By Lemma 1 (10), Lemma 1 (2), and Lemma 1 (7), we can observe that
Then,
and, hence, by Lemma 3 and (
3), we obtain
Hence,
is a linear Diophantine fuzzy ideal of
X. □
Proposition 3. If is a family of linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-ideals of X, then is a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-subalgebra of X.
Proof. Let
be a family of linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-ideals of an SBCK-algebra
X.
Letting
, we have
Letting
, we have
Hence,
is a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-ideal of an SBCK-algebra
X. □
We will use the notation instead of for all .
Definition 8. Let and be Sheffer stroke BCK-algebras. A mapping is called a homomorphism
iffor all . Theorem 4. Let and be SBCK-algebras, be a surjective homomorphism, and be a linear Diophantine fuzzy set on B. Then, is a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-ideal of B if and only if is a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-ideal of A.
Proof. Let
and
be SBCK-algebras,
be a surjective homomorphism, and
be a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-ideal of
B. Let
. Then,
Hence,
is a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-ideal of
A.
Conversely, let
be a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-ideal of
A. Let
such that
and
for
. Then,
Hence,
is a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-ideal of
B. □
Corollary 1. Let and be SBCK-algebras, be a surjective homomorphism, and be a linear Diophantine fuzzy set on B. Then, is a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-subalgebra of B if and only if is a linear Diophantine fuzzy SBCK-subalgebra of A.