On semi-planar Steiner quasigroups (Q1011702)

A Steiner quasigroup or a \textit{squag} is a groupoid \(\mathbf Q = (\mathbf Q;.)\), which satisfies the following identities: \(x . x = x\), \(x . y = y . x\), \(x.(x.y) = y\). Besides, if it satisfies medial law namely, \((x.y).(z.w) = (x.z),(y.w)\), then it is called as \textit{medial squag}. A Steiner triple system or triple system \(\mathbf P\) is a pair \((P;B)\), where \(P\) is a set of points and \(B\) is a set of 3-element subsets of \(\mathbf P\) called as blocks such that for distinct points \(p_1,p_2 \in \mathbf P\), there is a unique block \(b \in B\) such that \(\{p_1,p_2\}\) contained in \(b\). In fact these triple systems are in 1-1 correspondence with the squags that are mentioned above. If the cardinality of \(\mathbf P\) is \(n\), then \((\mathbf P;\mathbf B)\) and \((\mathbf P;.)\) are also of cardinality \(n\) and are denoted by \textbf{ST(n)} and \textbf{SQ(n)} respectively. It is well known that the necessary and sufficient condition for an \textbf{ST(n)} to exist is that \(n \equiv 1\) or \(3\pmod6\). The 1-1 correspondence also exists between the subsquags \textbf{SQ}s and subspaces \textbf{ST}s of the underlying triple systems. A subsquag \(\mathbf N = (N;.)\) is called \textit{normal} if and only if \(\mathbf N\) is a congruence class of \(\mathbf Q\). And Quackenbush has enunciated the necessary and sufficient condition for a large subsquag \(\mathbf N_1\) of a finite squag \(\mathbf Q\) to be normal. The first author has further shown that there is a subsquag \(\mathbf N_{1} = (N_1;.)\) of a finite squag \(\mathbf Q = (Q;.)\) with \(| Q | = 3 | N_1|\) and then \(N_1\) is not normal if and only if \(Q - N_1\) can be divided into two subsquags of \(\mathbf Q\) of cardinality \(| N_1| \). Then Quackenbush extended a concept that these squags have permutable, regular and Lagrangian congruences. For the other properties of squags refer to Bruck [4], B. Ganter [6], and G. Ganter [7]. A squag is called \textit{simple}, if it has only the trivial congruencies. Guelzow [8] and the author Armanious [2], have given the constructions of non-simple squags. Secondly an ST is said to be \textit{planar}, if it is generated by every triangle and contains a triangle. This planar \textbf{ST}(n) exists for each \(n \neq 7\) and \(n \equiv 1\) or \(3\pmod6\). Quackenbush has also shown that the only non-simple finite planar squag has 9 elements. He expected that there should be \textit{semi-planar squags} that are simple squags and each of whose triangle either generates whole squag or the 9 element subsquag. The authors observed that any planar squag (except of cardinality 9) is semi-planar and the converse is not true. Secondly, the triple system \textbf{ST}(n) associated with the semi-planar squag \textbf{SQ}(n), will also be called as semi-planar or semi-9-planar. Alternatively a semi-planar triple system \textbf{ST}(n) is semi-planar if \textbf{ST}(n) has no proper \(a\)-normal subsystems \textbf{ST}(n). For \(n = 7, 9, 13, 15\) there are planar squags. The author Armanious [1] has constructed semi-planar squags of cardinality \(n\) for \(n > 9\) and \(n \equiv 3\) or \(9 \pmod{18}\) having only non-trivial subsquags of cardinality 9. Particularly in this paper the authors gave a recursive construction as \(n\rightarrow 3n\) for semi-planar squags. This construction allows us to construct semi-planar squags having non-trivial subsquags of cardinality \(> 9\). They further enunciated that they may construct a semi-planar squag having only medial subsquags of cardinality \(3^m\) for each finite positive integer \(m\).