Cycle index of direct product of permutation groups and number of equivalence classes of subsets of \(\mathbb{Z}_ v\) (Q1313978)

The cycle index of a direct product \(G\) of permutation groups is obtained introducing a particular ``multiplication'' of indices of factors of \(G\). Two subsets \(A,B\) of \(\mathbb{Z}_ v\) are said to be equivalent if there exist \(t,s\) in \(\mathbb{Z}_ v\) such that \(\text{gcd} (t,v)=1\) and \(A=tB+s\). Using the above result on a obvious group \(G\) the number of equivalence classes of \(k\)-subsets of \(\mathbb{Z}_ v\) and of subsets of \(\mathbb{Z}_ v\) are given. This interesting paper is motivated by the problem of the number (and classification) of inequivalent \((v,k,\lambda)\) cyclic difference sets and suggests several further developments.