Related papers: Permutations Which Make Transitive Groups Primitiv…

Let $G$ be a nontrivial transitive permutation group on a finite set $\Omega$ and recall that an element of $G$ is a derangement if it has no fixed points. Derangements always exist by a classical theorem of Jordan, but there are so-called…

We describe generators and defining relations for the commutator subgroup of topological full groups of minimal subshifts. We show that the word problem in a topological full group is solvable if and only if the language of the underlying…

The subgroup commutativity degree of a group G has been defined in [6] as the probability that two subgroups of G commute, or equivalently that the product of two subgroups is again a subgroup. Problem 4.3 of [6] asks whether there exist…

This article began as a study of the structure of infinite permutation groups G in which point stabilisers are finite and all infinite normal subgroups are transitive. That led to two variations. One is the generalisation in which point…

A finite linear space is a finite set of points and lines, where any two points lie on a unique line. Well known examples include projective planes. This project focuses on linear spaces which admit certain types of symmetries. Symmetries…

In this short note, it is proved that both the number of primitive characters and the number of quasi-primitive characters in a finite group $G$ is divisible by $|G:G'|$, where $G'$ is the derived subgroup of $G$.

We investigate group actions in which certain primitive elements fix a point, while not all group elements possess this property when acting upon some space. Using similar dynamical tools, we introduce the notion of Nielsen girth and prove…

For a commutative finite $\mathbb{Z}$-algebra, i.e., for a commutative ring $R$ whose additive group is finitely generated, it is known that the group of units of $R$ is finitely generated, as well. Our main results are algorithms to…

The famous Burnside-Schur theorem states that every primitive finite permutation group containing a regular cyclic subgroup is either 2-transitive or isomorphic to a subgroup of a 1-dimensional affine group of prime degree. It is known that…

Let $G$ be a transitive permutation group acting on $\Omega$. In this paper, we introduce and study the parameter ${\bf m}(G)$, which denotes the size of the smallest set of points $A$ such that, for every permutation $g\in G$, $A \cap A^g$…

If every element of a matrix group is similar to a permutation matrix, then it is called a permutation-like matrix group. References [4] and [5] showed that, if a permutation-like matrix group contains a maximal cycle of length equal to a…

A semiregular permutation group on a set $\Ome$ is called {\em bi-regular} if it has two orbits. A classification is given of quasiprimitive permutation groups with a biregular dihedral subgroup. This is then used to characterize the family…

We show that if G is a group of automorphisms of a thick finite generalised quadrangle Q acting primitively on both the points and lines of Q, then G is almost simple. Moreover, if G is also flag-transitive then G is of Lie type.

In this paper, we study intersecting sets in primitive and quasiprimitive permutation groups. Let $G \leqslant \mathrm{Sym}(\Omega)$ be a transitive permutation group, and ${S}$ an intersecting set. Previous results show that if $G$ is…

We describe the collection of finite simple groups, with a view on physical applications. We recall first the prime cyclic groups $Z_p$, and the alternating groups $Alt_{n>4}$. After a quick revision of finite fields $\mathbb{F}_q$, $q =…

A subgroup of a finite group G is said to be second maximal if it is maximal in every maximal subgroup of G that contains it. A question which has received considerable attention asks: can every positive integer occur as the number of the…

The finite sharply $2$-transitive groups were classified by Zassenhaus in the 1930's. They essentially all look like the group of affine linear transformations $x\mapsto ax+b$ for some field (or at least near-field) $K$. However, the…

Every mathematician is familiar with the beautiful structure of finite commutative groups. What is less well known is that finite commutative semigroups also have a neat and well-described structure. We prove this in an efficient fashion.…

We investigate the proportion of fixed point free permutations (derangements) in finite transitive permutation groups. This article is the first in a series where we prove a conjecture of Shalev that the proportion of such elements is…

This paper concerns the general problem of classifying the finite deterministic automata that admit a synchronizing (or reset) word. (For our purposes it is irrelevant if the automata has initial or final states.) Our departure point is the…