Generating sequences of \(\mathrm{PSL}(2,p)\). (Q471845)

A generating set \(\{g_i\}\) or sequence \(\{g_i\}_{i\in I}\) for the group \(G\) is called irredundant if, after removing any \(g_j\) from the set or sequence, the new collection no longer generates \(G\). J. Whiston and J. Saxl showed that the size of an irredundant generating set of the group \(G=\mathrm{PSL}(2,p)\) is at most four and computed the size \(m(G)\) of a maximal set for many primes. The author extends this result to a larger class of primes, with the surprising result that, when \(p\not\equiv\pm 1\bmod{10}\), \(m(G)=3\) except for the special case \(p=7\). In addition, he determines which orders of elements in irredundant generating sets of \(\mathrm{PSL}(2,p)\) with lengths less than or equal to four are possible in most cases. He also gives some remarks about the behavior of \(\mathrm{PSL}(2,p)\) with respect to the replacement property for groups.