Spinning switches on a wreath product

DOI10.1016/J.JCTA.2023.105795zbMATH Open1520.91084arXiv2210.09408OpenAlexW4385502097MaRDI QIDQ6133638FDOQ6133638

Authors: Peter Kagey 

Publication date: 21 August 2023

Published in: Journal of Combinatorial Theory. Series A (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: We classify an algebraic phenomenon on certain families of wreath products that can be seen as coming from a family of puzzles about switches on the corners of a spinning table. Such puzzles have been written about and generalized since they were first popularized by Martin Gardner in 1979. In this paper, we provide perhaps the fullest generalization yet, modeling both the switches and the spinning table as arbitrary finite groups combined via a wreath product. We classify large families of wreath products depending on whether or not they correspond to a solvable puzzle, completely classifying the puzzle in the case when the switches behave like abelian groups, constructing winning strategies for all wreath product that are $p$-groups, and providing novel examples for other puzzles where the switches behave like nonabelian groups, including the puzzle consisting of two interchangeable copies of the monster group $M$. Lastly, we provide a number of open questions and conjectures, and provide other suggestions of how to generalize some of these ideas further.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2210.09408

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zbMATH Keywords

combinatoricsalgorithmwreath productblind bartender's problemblind rotating table gamerotating-table games

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Extensions, wreath products, and other compositions of groups (20E22) Combinatorial games (91A46)

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Cited In (3)

• Lifting wreath product extensions
• Wreaths, mixed wreaths and twisted coactions
• Two results on wreath products

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