In this note it is proved that a BIB(ν, k, l) implies N(ν −4) ≧ min (N(k–2), N(k–1) –1, N(k)–1) and that N(69)≧6.

The simple twills on n harnesses can be classified according to the number of breaks that they possess. An algorithm is detailed for determining these twills and some sample listings given. A formula is derived which evaluates the total number of n-harness twills with a specified number of breaks, and hence also the total possible number of twills on n harnesses. Also the balanced twills on n harnesses are enumerated.

The k-profile of an Hadamard matrix of order n is a function defined on the integers 0, 1,…,n. If k is even, k-profile of an Hadamard matrix of order n (k even) has non-zero terms only in every eighth position. If k is divisible by 4, the non-zero positions are those congruent to n (modulo 8).

New amicable orthogonal designs of order eight are given and they are used to construct ne orthogonal designs of order 32.

We propose the use of finite Fourier series as an alternative means of representing ovals in projective planes of even order. As an example to illustrate the method's potential, we show that the set {wj + w3j + w−3j: 0 ≤ j ≤ 2h} ⊂ GF (22h) forms an oval if w is a primitive (2h + 1)st root of unity in GF(22h) and GF(22h) is viewed as an affine plane over GF(2h). For the verification, we only need some elementary ‘trigonometric identities’ and a basic irreducibility lemma that is of independent interest. Finally, we show that our example is the Payne oval when h is odd, and the Adelaide oval when h is even.

Commutative idempotent quasigroups with a sharply transitive automorphism group G are described in terms of so-called Room maps of G. Orthogonal Room maps and skew Room maps are used to construct Room squares and skew Room squares. Very general direct and recursive constructions for skew Room maps lead to the existence of skew Room maps of groups of order prime to 30. Also some nonexistence results are proved.

In this note, we use a geometric construction to produce group divisible designs with mutually orhogonal resolutions.

An equidistant permutation array is a ν × r array A(r, λ;ν) defined on a r-set X such that every row of A is a permutation of X and any two distinct rows agree in precisely λ common columns. Define In this paper, we show that where n = r − λ. Certain results pertaining to irreducible equidistant permutation arrays are also established.

The (2, 3, ν) bipacking number is determined for all integers ν, and the number of non-isomorphic bipackings is found for small values of ν. The general solution for lambada packings of pairs into triples is deduced from the results for λ = 1 and λ = 2.

New proofs are given of the fundamental results of Bader, Lunardon and Thas relating flocks of the quadratic cone in PG(3, q), q odd, and BLT-sets of Q(4, q). We also show that there is a unique BLT-set of H(3, 9). The model of Penttila for Q(4, q), q odd, is extended to Q(2m, q) to construct partial flocks of size qm/2+m/2 – 1 of the cone kin PG(2m – 1, q) with vertex a point and base Q(2m – 2, q), where q is congruent to 1 or 3 modulo 8 and m is even. These partial flocks are larger than the largest previously known for m > 2. Also, the example of O'Keefe and Thas of a partial flock of k in PG(5, 3) of size 6 is generalised to a partial flock of the cone k of PG(2pn – 1, p) of size 2pn, for any prime p congruent to 1 or 3 modulo 8, with the corresponding partial BLT-set of Q(2pn, p) admitting the symmetric group of degree 2pn + 1.

We give a short proof that skew Room squares exist for all odd sides s exceeding 5.

It is known that 4 ≤ x(ℝ2) ≤ 7, where x(ℝ2) is the number of colour necessary to colour each point of Euclidean 2-space so that no two points lying distance 1 apart have the same colour. Any lattice-sublattice colouring sucheme for R2 must use at least 7 colour to have an excluded distance. This article shows that at least 6 colours are necessary for an excluded distance when convex polygonal tiles (all with area greater than some positive constant) are used as the colouring base.

Three differently defined classes of two-symbol sequences, which we call the two-distance sequences, the linear sequences and the characteristic sequences, have been discussed by a number of authors and some equivalences between them are known. We present a self-contained proof that the three classes are the same (when ambiguous cases of linear sequences are suitably in terpreted). Associated with each sequence is a real invariant (having a different appropriate definition for each of the three classes). We give results on the relation between sequences with the same invariant and on the symmetry of the sequences. The sequences are closely related to Beatty sequences and occur as digitized straight lines and quasicrystals. They also provide examples of minimal word proliferation in formal languages.

A Latin square is considered to be a set of n2 cells with three block systems. An automorphisni is a permutation of the cells which preserves each block system. The automorphism group of a Latin Square necessarily has at least 4 orbits on unordered pairs of cells if n < 2. It is shown that there are exactly 4 orbits if and only if the square is the composition table of an elementary abelian 2-group or the cclic group of order 3.

Orthogonal diagonal latin squares of order n, ODLS(n), are orthogonal latin squares of order n with transversals on both the main diagonal and the back diagonal of each square. It has been proven that ODLS(n) exist for all n except n = 2, 3, 6, 10, 14, 15, 18 and 26, in which the first three are impossible. In this note an example of ODLS(14) is given.

A direct construction for partially resolvable t-partitions is presented and then used to give a recursive construction for BIBDs (ν, 4, 2). In particular, we construct BIBD(ν, 4, 2) with BIBD(ν, 4, 2) embedded in it whenever ν = 3u + a, a ∈ {1, 4, 7}. This result allows us to give simple proofs for the existence of BIBD(ν, 4, 2) with various additioinal properties.

We characterize all finite linear spaces with p ≤ n2 points where n ≥ 8 for p ≠ n2 − 1 and n ≥ 23 for p = n2−1, and the line range is {n−1, n, n+1}. All such linear spaces are shown to be embeddable in finite projective planes of order a function of n. We also describe the exceptional linear spaces arising from p < n2−1 and n ≥ 4.

A recursive construction for orthogonal diagonal latin squares, using group divisible designs, is presented. In consequence the numbers of orders for which the existence of such squares is in question is reduced to 72.

Let S be a finite linear space on v ≥ n2 –n points and b = n2+n+1–m lines, m ≧ 0, n ≧ 1, such that at most m points are not on n + 1 lines. If m ≧ 1, except if m = 1 and a unique point on n lines is on no line with two points, then S embeds uniquely in a projective plane of order n or is one exceptional case if n =4. If m ≦ 1 and if v ≧ n2 – 2√n + 3, + 6, the same conclusion holds, except possibly for the uniqueness.

1991 Mathematics subject classification (Amer. Math. Soc.) 05 B 05, 51 E 10.

Recently, we have introduced the notion of stable permutations in a Latin rectangle L(r×c) of r rows and c columns. In this note, we prove that the set of all stable permutations in L (r×c) forms a distributive lattice which is Boolean if and only if c ≤ 2.