We investigate finite 3-nets embedded in a projective plane over a (finite or infinite) field of any characteristic p. Such an embedding is regular when each of the three classes of the 3-net comprises concurrent lines, and irregular otherwise. It is completely irregular when no class of the 3-net consists of concurrent lines. We are interested in embeddings of 3-nets which are irregular but the lines of one class are concurrent. For an irregular embedding of a 3-net of order n greater than 4 we prove that, if all lines from two classes are tangent to the same irreducible conic, then all lines from the third class are concurrent. We also prove the converse provided that the order n of the 3-net is smaller than p. In the complex plane, apart from a sporadic example of order n=5 due to Stipins, each known irregularly embedded 3-net has the property that all its lines are tangent to a plane cubic curve. Actually, the procedure of constructing irregular 3-nets with this property works over any field. In positive characteristic, we present some more examples for n greater than 4 and give a complete classification for n=4.
A \textit{$3$-net} of order $n$ is a finite incidence structure consisting of points and three pairwise disjoint classes of lines, each of size $n$, such that every point incident with two lines from distinct classes is incident with exactly one line from each of the three classes. The current interest around $3$-nets (embedded) in a projective plane $PG(2,K)$, defined over a field $K$ of characteristic $p$, arose from algebraic geometry. It is not difficult to find $3$-nets in $PG(2,K)$ as far as $0<p\le n$. However, only a few infinite families of $3$-nets in $PG(2,K)$ are known to exist whe…
A finite \emph{$k$-net} of order $n$ is an incidence structure consisting of $k\ge 3$ pairwise disjoint classes of lines, each of size $n$, such that every point incident with two lines from distinct classes is incident with exactly one line from each of the $k$ classes. Deleting a line class from a $k$-net, with $k\ge 4$, gives a \emph{derived} ($k-1$)-net of the same order. Finite $k$-nets embedded in a projective plane $PG(2,K)$ coordinatized by a field $K$ of characteristic $0$ only exist for $k=3,4$, see \cite{knp_k}. In this paper, we investigate $3$-nets embedded in $PG(2,K)$ whose line…
We study the complexity of computing the Shapley value in games with externalities. We focus on two representations based on marginal contribution nets (embedded MC-nets and weighted MC-nets). Our results show that while weighted MC-nets are more concise than embedded MC-nets, they have slightly worse computational properties when it comes to computing the Shapley value.
A biased graph is a graph with a class of selected circles ("cycles", "circuits"), called "balanced", such that no theta subgraph contains exactly two balanced circles. A biased graph has two natural matroids, the frame matroid and the lift matroid. A classical question in matroid theory is whether a matroid can be embedded in a projective geometry. There is no known general answer, but for matroids of biased graphs it is possible to give algebraic criteria. Zaslavsky has previously given such criteria for embeddability of biased-graphic matroids in Desarguesian projective spaces; in this pape…
In this paper, we present a number of examples of k-nets, which are special configurations of lines and points in the projective plane. Such a configuration can be regarded as the union of k completely reducible elements of a pencil of complex plane curves; equivalently it can be regarded as a set of k polygons in the complex projective plane that satisfy a condition of mutual perspectivity and nondegenerate intersection. For each example, we describe its construction, combinatorial properties, and parameter space. Most of the examples are historical, although perhaps not very well-known; our …
We introduce and study embeddings of graphs in finite projective planes, and present related results for some families of graphs including complete graphs and complete bipartite graphs. We also make connections between embeddings of graphs and the existence of certain substructures in a plane, such as Baer subplanes and arcs.
A net is a special configuration of lines and points in the projective plane. There are certain restrictions on the number of its lines and points. We proved that there cannot be any (4,4) nets in $\mathbb{C}P^2$. In order to show this, we use tropical algebraic geometry. We tropicalize the hypothetical net and show that there cannot be such a configuration in $\mathbb{C}P^2$.
Entangled embedded periodic nets and crystal frameworks are defined, along with their dimension type, homogeneity type, adjacency depth and periodic isotopy type. We obtain periodic isotopy classifications for various families of embedded nets with small quotient graphs. We enumerate the 25 periodic isotopy classes of depth 1 embedded nets with a single vertex quotient graph. Additionally, we classify embeddings of n-fold copies of pcu with all connected components in a parallel orientation and n vertices in a repeat unit, and determine their maximal symmetry periodic isotopes. We also introdu…
We classify nets of conics in Desarguesian projective planes over finite fields of odd order, namely, two-dimensional linear systems of conics containing a repeated line. Our proof is geometric in the sense that we solve the equivalent problem of classifying the orbits of planes in $\text{PG}(5,q)$ which meet the quadric Veronesean in at least one point, under the action of $\text{PGL}(3,q) \leqslant \text{PGL}(6,q)$ (for $q$ odd). Our results complete a partial classification of nets of conics of rank one obtained by A. H. Wilson in the article "The canonical types of nets of modular conics",…
The minimum weight of the code generated by the incidence matrix of points versus lines in a projective plane has been known for over 50 years. Surprisingly, finding the minimum weight of the dual code of projective planes of non-prime order is still an open problem, even in the Desarguesian case. In this paper, we focus on the case of projective planes of order $p^2$, where $p$ is prime, and we link the existence of small weight code words in the dual code to the existence of embedded subplanes and {\em antipodal planes}. In the Desarguesian case, we can exclude such code words by showing a m…
We show a one-to-one correspondence between arrangements of d lines in the projective plane, and lines in P^{d-2}. We apply this correspondence to classify (3,q)-nets over the complex numbers for all q<=6. When q=6, we have twelve possible combinatorial cases, but we prove that only nine of them are realizable. This new case shows several new properties for 3-nets: different dimensions for moduli, strict realization over certain fields, etc. We also construct a three dimensional family of (3,8)-nets corresponding to the Quaternion group.
In the paper, we study special configurations of lines and points in the complex projective plane, so called k-nets. We describe the role of these configurations in studies of cohomology on arrangement complements. Our most general result is the restriction on k - it can be only 3,4, or 5. The most interesting class of nets is formed by 3-nets that relate to finite geometries, latin squares, loops, etc. All known examples of 3-nets in P^2 realize finite Abelian groups. We study the problem what groups can be so realized. Our main result is that, except for groups with all invariant factors und…
It is shown that a simple graph which is embeddable in the real projective plane is minimally 3-rigid if and only if it is (3,6)-tight. Moreover the topologically uncontractible embedded graphs of this type are constructible from one of 8 embedded graphs by a sequence of vertex splitting moves. In particular the characterisation of minimal 3-rigidity holds for a triangulated Mobius strip.
In this study we performed a computer search for unitals in planes of order 16. Some new unitals were found and we show that some unitals can be embedded in two or more different planes.
We define and study embeddings of cycles in finite affine and projective planes. We show that for all $k$, $3\le k\le q^2$, a $k$-cycle can be embedded in any affine plane of order $q$. We also prove a similar result for finite projective planes: for all $k$, $3\le k\le q^2+q+1$, a $k$-cycle can be embedded in any projective plane of order $q$.
Partial duality generalizes the fundamental concept of the geometric dual of an embedded graph. A partial dual is obtained by forming the geometric dual with respect to only a subset of edges. While geometric duality preserves the genus of an embedded graph, partial duality does not. Here we are interested in the problem of determining which edge sets of an embedded graph give rise to a partial dual of a given genus. This problem turns out to be intimately connected to the separability of the embedded graph. We determine how separability is related to the genus of a partial dual. We use this t…
The problem of classifying linear systems of conics in projective planes dates back at least to Jordan, who classified pencils (one-dimensional systems) of conics over $\mathbb{C}$ and $\mathbb{R}$ in 1906--1907. The analogous problem for finite fields $\mathbb{F}_q$ with $q$ odd was solved by Dickson in 1908. In 1914, Wilson attempted to classify nets (two-dimensional systems) of conics over finite fields of odd characteristic, but his classification was incomplete and contained some inaccuracies. In a recent article, we completed Wilson's classification of nets of rank one, namely those cont…
A graph embedded in a surface with all faces of size 4 is known as a quadrangulation. We extend the definition of quadrangulation to higher dimensions, and prove that any graph G which embeds as a quadrangulation in the real projective space P^n has chromatic number n+2 or higher, unless G is bipartite. For n=2 this was proved by Youngs [J. Graph Theory 21 (1996), 219-227]. The family of quadrangulations of projective spaces includes all complete graphs, all Mycielski graphs, and certain graphs homomorphic to Schrijver graphs. As a corollary, we obtain a new proof of the Lovasz-Kneser theorem.
For a graph $G = (V, E)$ embedded in the projective plane, let $\mathcal{F}(G)$ denote the set of faces of $G$. Then, $G$ is called a $C_n$-face-magic projective graph if there exists a bijection $f: V(G) \to \{1, 2, \dots, |V(G)|\}$ such that for any $F \in \mathcal{F}(G)$ with $F \cong C_n$, the sum of all the vertex labels around $C_n$ is a constant $S$. We consider the $m \times n$ grid graph, denoted by $\mathcal{P}_{m,n}$, embedded in the projective plane in the natural way. Let $m \geqslant 3$ and $n \geqslant 3$ be odd integers. It is known that the $C_4$-face-magic value of a $C_4$-fa…
For maximal planar graphs of order $n\geq 4$, we prove that a vertex--coloring containing no rainbow faces uses at most $\lfloor\frac{2n-1}{3}\rfloor$ colors, and this is best possible. For maximal graph embedded on the projective plane, we obtain the analogous best bound $\lfloor\frac{2n+1}{3}\rfloor$. The main ingredients in the proofs are classical homological tools. By considering graphs as topological spaces, we introduce the notion of a null coloring, and prove that for any graph $G$ a maximal null coloring $f$ is such that the quotient graph $G/f$ is a forest.
The existence of a primitive element of $GF(q)$ with certain properties is used to prove that all cycles that could theoretically be embedded in $AG(2,q)$ and $PG(2,q)$ can, in fact, be embedded there (i.e. these planes are `pancyclic'). We also study embeddings of wheel and gear graphs in arbitrary projective planes.
A venerable problem in combinatorics and geometry asks whether a given incidence relation may be realized by a configuration of points and lines. The classic version of this would ask for algebraic lines over some field or possibly real pseudolines: embedded circles (isotopic to $RP^1$) in the real projective plane. In this paper we investigate whether a configuration is realized by a collection of $2$-spheres embedded, in the symplectic, smooth, or topological (locally flat) categories, in the complex projective plane. We find obstructions to realizability in the topological category, which a…
The notion of higher order dual varieties of a projective variety is a natural generalization of the classical notion of projective duality, introduced by Piene in 1983. In this paper we study higher order dual varieties of projective toric embeddings. We compute the degree of the second dual variety of a smooth toric threefold in geometric and combinatorial terms, and we classify smooth 2-jet spanned projective embeddings of smooth threefolds whose second dual variety has dimension less than expected. We also describe the tropicalization of the k-th dual variety of an equivariantly embedded (…
