Locally finite groups and configurations (Q2068339)

\textit{J. M. Rosenblatt} and \textit{G. A. Willis} [Can. Math. Bull. 44, No. 2, 231--241 (2001; Zbl 0980.43001)] proved that a discrete group \(G\) is amenable if and only if every possible system of configuration equations admits a normalized solution. The paper under review is devoted to studying a similar case. More precisely, the authors prove that \(G\) is locally finite if and only if every possible system of configuration equations admits a strictly positive solution. Another interesting result is Proposition 3.8: Let \(G\) be a discrete group. Then \(G\) is not locally finite if and only if it is paradoxical or it admits an amenable infinite finitely generated subgroup. The authors also provide a procedure to get equidecomposable subsets \(A\) and \(B\) of an infinite finitely generated or a locally finite group \(G\) such that \(A \subsetneq B\), directly from a system of configuration equations not having a strictly positive solution.