Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Symmetric Designs, Difference Sets, And A New Way To Look At Macfarland Difference Sets, John Bowen Polhill Jr.

Honors Theses

In this paper, the topics of symmetric designs and difference sets are discussed both separately and in relation to each other. Then an approach to MacFarland Difference Sets using the theory behind homomorphisms from groups into the complex numbers is introduced. This method is contrasted with the method of finding this type of difference set used by E.S. Launder in his book Symmetric Designs: An Algebraic Approach.