A Desarguesian theorem for algebraic combinatorial geometries (Q1078570): Difference between revisions

A combinatorial geometry (simple matroid) is algebraic over a field if it is isomorphic to the matroid whose independent sets are the sets of transcendentals which are algebraically independent in that field; it is algebraic if it is algebraic over some field. The author states five properties of algebraic combinatorial geometries, the first four being trivial, while the fourth (If three distinct lines are pairwise coplanar, but not all three coplanar, then the lines meet in a point.) had been proved by \textit{A. W. Ingleton} and \textit{R. A. Main} [Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 7, 144-146 (1975; Zbl 0315.05018)]. It follows a converse of the Desargues theorem (If two point-triples in a plane are axially perspective, then they are centrally perspective); Desargues' theorem itself does not follow, for two lines in a plane may not meet. A corollary is that the ''non-Desargues'' matroid of \textit{D. J. A. Welsh} [Matroid Theory (1976; Zbl 0343.05002),p. 139] is not algebraic. Note that the author had previously proved that Welsh's ''non-Pappus'' matroid (ibid. p. 138) is algebraic, even though Pappus' Theorem implies Desargues' one - in projective geometry!...