Some problems on splittings of groups (Q1087644)

Let \(G\) be a finite abelian group, written additively. A set \(M\) of integers is said to split \(G\) if there is a subset \(S\) of \(G\) such that each element \(g\) in \(G\) can be expressed uniquely as \(g=ms\), where \(m\in M\) and \(s\in S\). This concept is motivated by problems connected with tilings of \(n\)-space. In \textit{S. Galovich} and \textit{S. K. Stein} [Aequationes Math. 22, 249--267 (1981; Zbl 0526.20018)] it is proved that if \(t=k+1\) is not a prime then \(M=\{1,\ldots,k\}\) does not split the groups \(\mathbb{Z}_t\oplus\mathbb{Z}_t\) and \(\mathbb{Z}_{t^2}\). (Here \(\mathbb{Z}_n\) is the additive group of integers modulo \(n\).) In the paper under review the author proves that if \(t=2k+1\) is not prime then \(\{1,\ldots,k\}\) does not split \(\mathbb{Z}_t\oplus\mathbb{Z}_t\). The author also disproves two conjectures from the above mentioned paper of Galovich and Stein.