COORDINATISING PLANES OF PRIME POWER ORDER USING FINITE FIELDS

We revisit the coordinatisation method for projective planes by considering the consequences of using finite fields to coordinatise projective planes of prime power order. This leads to some general restrictions on the form of the resulting planar ternary ring (PTR) when viewed as a trivariate polynomial over the field. We also consider how the Lenz–Barlotti type of the plane being coordinatised impacts the form of the PTR polynomial, thereby deriving further restrictions.

Projective planes of infinite but isolic order

The main purpose of this paper is to show how partial recursive functions and isols can be used to generalize the following three well-known theorems of combinatorial theory.(I) For every finite projective plane Π there is a unique number n such that Π has exactly n2 + n + 1 points and exactly n2 + n + 1 lines.(II) Every finite projective plane of order n can be coordinatized by a finite planar ternary ring of order n. Conversely, every finite planar ternary ring of order n coordinatizes a finite projective plane of order n.(III) There exists a finite projective plane of order n if and only if there exist n − 1 mutually orthogonal Latin squares of order n.

Weakly Isotopic Planar Ternary Rings

This paper introduces two relations both weaker than isotopism which may hold between planar ternary rings. We will concentrate on the geometric consequences rather than the algebraic properties of these relations. It is well-known that every projective plane can be coordinatized by a planar ternary ring and every planar ternary ring coordinatizes a projective plane. If two planar ternary rings are isomorphic then their associated projective planes are isomorphic; however, the converse is not true. In fact, an algebraic bond which necessarily holds between the coordinatizing planar ternary rings of isomorphic projective planes has not been found. Such a bond must, of course, be weaker than isomorphism; furthermore, it must be weaker than isotopism. Here we show that it is even weaker than the two new relations introduced.This is significant because the weaker of our relations is, in a sense, the weakest possible algebraic relation which can hold between planar ternary rings which coordinatize isomorphic projective planes.