Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Some Combinatorial Applications Of Sage, An Open Source Program, Jessica Ruth Chowning

Masters Theses

"In this thesis, we consider the usefulness of Sage, an online and open-source program, in analyzing permutation puzzles such as the Rubik's cube and a specific combinatorial structure called the projective plane. Many programs exist to expedite calculations in research and provide previously-unavailable solutions; some require purchase, while others, such as Sage, are available for free online. Sage is asked to handle a small permutation puzzle called Swap, and then we explore how it calculates solutions for a Rubik's cube. We then discuss projective planes, Sage's library of functions for dealing with projective planes, and how they relate to the …