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Algebra Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Algebra

The Name Tag Problem, Christian Carley Nov 2020

The Name Tag Problem, Christian Carley

Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Mathematics Journal

The Name Tag Problem is a thought experiment that, when formalized, serves as an introduction to the concept of an orthomorphism of $\Zn$. Orthomorphisms are a type of group permutation and their graphs are used to construct mutually orthogonal Latin squares, affine planes and other objects. This paper walks through the formalization of the Name Tag Problem and its linear solutions, which center around modular arithmetic. The characterization of which linear mappings give rise to these solutions developed in this paper can be used to calculate the exact number of linear orthomorphisms for any additive group Z/nZ, which is demonstrated …


Colorings And Sudoku Puzzles, Katelyn D. May Nov 2020

Colorings And Sudoku Puzzles, Katelyn D. May

Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Mathematics Journal

Map colorings refer to assigning colors to different regions of a map. In particular, a typical application is to assign colors so that no two adjacent regions are the same color. Map colorings are easily converted to graph coloring problems: regions correspond to vertices and edges between two vertices exist for adjacent regions. We extend these notions to Shidoku, 4x4 Sudoku puzzles, and standard 9x9 Sudoku puzzles by demanding unique entries in rows, columns, and regions. Motivated by our study of ring and field theory, we expand upon the standard division algorithm to study Gr\"obner bases in multivariate polynomial rings. …


New Theorems For The Digraphs Of Commutative Rings, Morgan Bounds Nov 2020

New Theorems For The Digraphs Of Commutative Rings, Morgan Bounds

Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Mathematics Journal

The digraphs of commutative rings under modular arithmetic reveal intriguing cycle patterns, many of which have yet to be explained. To help illuminate these patterns, we establish a set of new theorems. Rings with relatively prime moduli a and b are used to predict cycles in the digraph of the ring with modulus ab. Rings that use Pythagorean primes as their modulus are shown to always have a cycle in common. Rings with perfect square moduli have cycles that relate to their square root.