Embedding balanced \(P_{3}\)-designs into (balanced) \(P_{4}\)-designs (Q2467991)

A \(P_k\)-design of order \(v\) is a pair \((V,P)\) where \(V\) is the vertex set of the complete graph \(K_v\) on \(v\) vertices and \(P\) is a decomposition of the edge set of \(K_v\) into copies of \(P_k\), the path with \(k\) vertices and \(k-1\) edges. A \(P_k\)-design is balanced if each vertex belongs to the same number of paths in \(B\). A \(P_k\)-design \((V,P)\) is embedded in a \(P_k\)-design \((W,Q)\) if there is an injective function \(f: P\to Q\) such that \(B\) is a subgraph of \(f(B)\) for all \(B\in P\). Necessary and sufficient condition are obtained for the existence of embeddings of balanced \(P_k\)-designs into (1) balanced \(P_{k+1}\)-designs, and (2) into \(P_{k+1}\)-designs.