Search results for " Symmetric block designs"

On the additivity of block designs

2016

We show that symmetric block designs $${\mathcal {D}}=({\mathcal {P}},{\mathcal {B}})$$D=(P,B) can be embedded in a suitable commutative group $${\mathfrak {G}}_{\mathcal {D}}$$GD in such a way that the sum of the elements in each block is zero, whereas the only Steiner triple systems with this property are the point-line designs of $${\mathrm {PG}}(d,2)$$PG(d,2) and $${\mathrm {AG}}(d,3)$$AG(d,3). In both cases, the blocks can be characterized as the only k-subsets of $$\mathcal {P}$$P whose elements sum to zero. It follows that the group of automorphisms of any such design $$\mathcal {D}$$D is the group of automorphisms of $${\mathfrak {G}}_\mathcal {D}$$GD that leave $$\mathcal {P}$$P in…