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Articles 1 - 10 of 10
Full-Text Articles in Algebra
An Inquiry Into Lorentzian Polynomials, Tomás Aguilar-Fraga
An Inquiry Into Lorentzian Polynomials, Tomás Aguilar-Fraga
HMC Senior Theses
In combinatorics, it is often desirable to show that a sequence is unimodal. One method of establishing this is by proving the stronger yet easier-to-prove condition of being log-concave, or even ultra-log-concave. In 2019, Petter Brändén and June Huh introduced the concept of Lorentzian polynomials, an exciting new tool which can help show that ultra-log-concavity holds in specific cases. My thesis investigates these Lorentzian polynomials, asking in which situations they are broadly useful. It covers topics such as matroid theory, discrete convexity, and Mason’s conjecture, a long-standing open problem in matroid theory. In addition, we discuss interesting applications to known …
Mathematical Magic: A Study Of Number Puzzles, Nicasio M. Velez
Mathematical Magic: A Study Of Number Puzzles, Nicasio M. Velez
Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Mathematics Journal
Within this paper, we will briefly review the history of a collection of number puzzles which take the shape of squares, polygons, and polyhedra in both modular and nonmodular arithmetic. Among other results, we develop construction techniques for solutions of both Modulo and regular Magic Squares. For other polygons in nonmodular arithmetic, specifically of order 3, we present a proof of why there are only four Magic Triangles using linear algebra, disprove the existence of the Magic Tetrahedron in two ways, and utilizing the infamous 3-SUM combinatorics problem we disprove the existence of the Magic Octahedron.
The Name Tag Problem, Christian Carley
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 …
On The Mysteries Of Interpolation Jack Polynomials, Havi Ellers
On The Mysteries Of Interpolation Jack Polynomials, Havi Ellers
HMC Senior Theses
Interpolation Jack polynomials are certain symmetric polynomials in N variables with coefficients that are rational functions in another parameter k, indexed by partitions of length at most N. Introduced first in 1996 by F. Knop and S. Sahi, and later studied extensively by Sahi, Knop-Sahi, and Okounkov-Olshanski, they have interesting connections to the representation theory of Lie algebras. Given an interpolation Jack polynomial we would like to differentiate it with respect to the variable k and write the result as a linear combination of other interpolation Jack polynomials where the coefficients are again rational functions in k. In this …
On The Density Of The Odd Values Of The Partition Function, Samuel Judge
On The Density Of The Odd Values Of The Partition Function, Samuel Judge
Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports
The purpose of this dissertation is to introduce a new approach to the study of one of the most basic and seemingly intractable problems in partition theory, namely the conjecture that the partition function $p(n)$ is equidistributed modulo $2$. We provide a doubly-indexed, infinite family of conjectural identities in the ring of series $\Z_2[[q]]$, which relate $p(n)$ with suitable $t$-multipartition functions, and show how to, in principle, prove each such identity. We will exhibit explicit proofs for $32$ of our identities. However, the conjecture remains open in full generality. A striking consequence of these conjectural identities is that, under suitable …
Multiplication Rules For Schur And Quasisymmetric Schur Functions, Jennifer Anderson
Multiplication Rules For Schur And Quasisymmetric Schur Functions, Jennifer Anderson
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
An important problem in algebraic combinatorics is finding expansions of products of symmetric functions as sums of symmetric functions. Schur functions form a well-known basis for the ring of symmetric functions. The Littlewood-Richardson rule was introduced to expand the product of two Schur functions as a positive sum of Schur functions. Remmel and Whitney introduced an algorithmic way to find the coefficients of Schur functions appearing in the expansion. Haglund et al. introduced quasisymmetric Schur functions as a refinement of Schur functions. For quasisymmetric Schur functions, the Littlewood-Richardson rule was introduced to expand the product of a Schur and quasisymmetric …
On Representations Of Semigroups Having Hypercube-Like Cayley Graphs, Cody Cassiday, G. Stacey Staples
On Representations Of Semigroups Having Hypercube-Like Cayley Graphs, Cody Cassiday, G. Stacey Staples
SIUE Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity
The $n-dimensional hypercube, or n-cube, is the Cayley graph of the Abelian group Z2n. A number of combinatorially-interesting groups and semigroups arise from modified hypercubes. The inherent combinatorial properties of these groups and semigroups make them useful in a number of contexts, including coding theory, graph theory, stochastic processes, and even quantum mechanics. In this paper, particular groups and semigroups whose Cayley graphs are generalizations of hypercubes are described, and their irreducible representations are characterized. Constructions of faithful representations are also presented for each semigroup. The associated semigroup algebras are realized within the context …
Permutation Groups And Puzzle Tile Configurations Of Instant Insanity Ii, Amanda N. Justus
Permutation Groups And Puzzle Tile Configurations Of Instant Insanity Ii, Amanda N. Justus
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The manufacturer claims that there is only one solution to the puzzle Instant Insanity II. However, a recent paper shows that there are two solutions. Our goal is to find ways in which we only have one solution. We examine the permutation groups of the puzzle and use modern algebra to attempt to fix the puzzle. First, we find the permutation group for the case when there is only one empty slot at the top. We then examine the scenario when we add an extra column or an extra row to make the game a 4 × 5 puzzle or …
Slicing A Puzzle And Finding The Hidden Pieces, Martha Arntson
Slicing A Puzzle And Finding The Hidden Pieces, Martha Arntson
Honors Program Projects
The research conducted was to investigate the potential connections between group theory and a puzzle set up by color cubes. The goal of the research was to investigate different sized puzzles and discover any relationships between solutions of the same sized puzzles. In this research, first, there was an extensive look into the background of Abstract Algebra and group theory, which is briefly covered in the introduction. Then, each puzzle of various sizes was explored to find all possible color combinations of the solutions. Specifically, the 2x2x2, 3x3x3, and 4x4x4 puzzles were examined to find that the 2x2x2 has 24 …
The Rook-Brauer Algebra, Elise G. Delmas
The Rook-Brauer Algebra, Elise G. Delmas
Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science Honors Projects
We introduce an associative algebra RBk(x) that has a basis of rook-Brauer diagrams. These diagrams correspond to partial matchings on 2k vertices. The rook-Brauer algebra contains the group algebra of the symmetric group, the Brauer algebra, and the rook monoid algebra as subalgebras. We show that the basis of RBk(x) is generated by special diagrams si, ti (1 <= i < k) and pj (1 <= j <= k), where the si are the simple transpositions that generated the symmetric group Sk, the ti are the "contraction maps" which generate the …