Combinatorics of Finite Geometries

Download or read book Combinatorics of Finite Geometries written by Lynn Margaret Batten and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1997-05-28 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Combinatorics of Finite Geometries is an introductory text on the combinatorial theory of finite geometry. Assuming only a basic knowledge of set theory and analysis, it provides a thorough review of the topic and leads the student to results at the frontiers of research. This book begins with an elementary combinatorial approach to finite geometries based on finite sets of points and lines, and moves into the classical work on affine and projective planes. Later, it addresses polar spaces, partial geometries, and generalized quadrangles. The revised edition contains an entirely new chapter on blocking sets in linear spaces, which highlights some of the most important applications of blocking sets--from the initial game-theoretic setting to their very recent use in cryptography. Extensive exercises at the end of each chapter insure the usefulness of this book for senior undergraduate and beginning graduate students.