Percentages in pairwise balanced designs (Q908919)

Let \(K=\{k_ 1,...,k_ m\}\) be a finite set of positive integers greater than one. Define \(\alpha (K)=\gcd \{k_ 1-1,...,k_ m-1\},\) \(\beta (K)=\gcd \{k_ 1(k_ 1-1),...,k_ m(k_ m-1)\}.\) The congruences v-1\(\equiv 0\) mod \(\alpha\) (K) and v(v-1)\(\equiv 0\) mod \(\beta\) (K) are necessary conditions for a (v,K,1) P(airwise) B(alanced) D(esign) to exist. Let \(p_ 1,...,p_ m\) be non-negative numbers with \(\sum^{m}_{i=1}p_ i=1\) and let \(\epsilon >0\). The authors show the existence of three constants \(C_{K,\epsilon}\), \(P_{K,\epsilon}\) and C such that for a positive integer v meeting the necessary conditions the following properties hold: 1) if \(v\geq C_{K,\epsilon}\) then there exists a (v,K,1) PBD in which the fraction of blocks of size \(k_ 1\) exceeds 1-\(\epsilon\) ; 2) if \(v\geq P_{K,\epsilon}\) then there exists a (v,K,1) PBD in which for \(i=1,...,m\) the fraction of the pairs of elements appearing in blocks of size \(k_ i\) falls within the range \([p_ i-\epsilon,p_ i+\epsilon]\); 3) if \(v\geq C\) satisfies the further congruences \(p_ iv(v-1)\equiv 0\) mod \(k_ i(k_ i-1)\) for \(i=1,...,m\) \((p_ i\) is assumed to be rational in this case), then there exists a (v,K,1) PBD in which for every \(i=1,...,m\) the blocks of size \(k_ i\) contain precisely the fraction \(p_ i\) of all pairs of elements.