Zero-sum partitions of Abelian groups of order $2^n$

The following problem has been known since the 80's. Let $\Gamma$ be an Abelian group of order $m$ (denoted $|\Gamma|=m$), and let $t$ and $m_i$, $1 \leq i \leq t$, be positive integers such that $\sum_{i=1}^t m_i=m-1$. Determine when $\Gamma^*=\Gamma\setminus\{0\}$, the set of non-zero element...

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Main Authors: Sylwia Cichacz, Karol Suchan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Discrete Mathematics & Theoretical Computer Science 2023-03-01
Series:Discrete Mathematics & Theoretical Computer Science
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Online Access:http://dmtcs.episciences.org/9914/pdf
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author Sylwia Cichacz
Karol Suchan
author_facet Sylwia Cichacz
Karol Suchan
author_sort Sylwia Cichacz
collection DOAJ
description The following problem has been known since the 80's. Let $\Gamma$ be an Abelian group of order $m$ (denoted $|\Gamma|=m$), and let $t$ and $m_i$, $1 \leq i \leq t$, be positive integers such that $\sum_{i=1}^t m_i=m-1$. Determine when $\Gamma^*=\Gamma\setminus\{0\}$, the set of non-zero elements of $\Gamma$, can be partitioned into disjoint subsets $S_i$, $1 \leq i \leq t$, such that $|S_i|=m_i$ and $\sum_{s\in S_i}s=0$ for every $i$, $1 \leq i \leq t$. It is easy to check that $m_i\geq 2$ (for every $i$, $1 \leq i \leq t$) and $|I(\Gamma)|\neq 1$ are necessary conditions for the existence of such partitions, where $I(\Gamma)$ is the set of involutions of $\Gamma$. It was proved that the condition $m_i\geq 2$ is sufficient if and only if $|I(\Gamma)|\in\{0,3\}$. For other groups (i.e., for which $|I(\Gamma)|\neq 3$ and $|I(\Gamma)|>1$), only the case of any group $\Gamma$ with $\Gamma\cong(Z_2)^n$ for some positive integer $n$ has been analyzed completely so far, and it was shown independently by several authors that $m_i\geq 3$ is sufficient in this case. Moreover, recently Cichacz and Tuza proved that, if $|\Gamma|$ is large enough and $|I(\Gamma)|>1$, then $m_i\geq 4$ is sufficient. In this paper we generalize this result for every Abelian group of order $2^n$. Namely, we show that the condition $m_i\geq 3$ is sufficient for $\Gamma$ such that $|I(\Gamma)|>1$ and $|\Gamma|=2^n$, for every positive integer $n$. We also present some applications of this result to graph magic- and anti-magic-type labelings.
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spelling doaj-art-0d14bcb3e0814918890f0cbb80e25b692025-08-20T01:49:32ZengDiscrete Mathematics & Theoretical Computer ScienceDiscrete Mathematics & Theoretical Computer Science1365-80502023-03-01vol. 25:1Combinatorics10.46298/dmtcs.99149914Zero-sum partitions of Abelian groups of order $2^n$Sylwia Cichaczhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7738-0924Karol Suchanhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-0793-0924The following problem has been known since the 80's. Let $\Gamma$ be an Abelian group of order $m$ (denoted $|\Gamma|=m$), and let $t$ and $m_i$, $1 \leq i \leq t$, be positive integers such that $\sum_{i=1}^t m_i=m-1$. Determine when $\Gamma^*=\Gamma\setminus\{0\}$, the set of non-zero elements of $\Gamma$, can be partitioned into disjoint subsets $S_i$, $1 \leq i \leq t$, such that $|S_i|=m_i$ and $\sum_{s\in S_i}s=0$ for every $i$, $1 \leq i \leq t$. It is easy to check that $m_i\geq 2$ (for every $i$, $1 \leq i \leq t$) and $|I(\Gamma)|\neq 1$ are necessary conditions for the existence of such partitions, where $I(\Gamma)$ is the set of involutions of $\Gamma$. It was proved that the condition $m_i\geq 2$ is sufficient if and only if $|I(\Gamma)|\in\{0,3\}$. For other groups (i.e., for which $|I(\Gamma)|\neq 3$ and $|I(\Gamma)|>1$), only the case of any group $\Gamma$ with $\Gamma\cong(Z_2)^n$ for some positive integer $n$ has been analyzed completely so far, and it was shown independently by several authors that $m_i\geq 3$ is sufficient in this case. Moreover, recently Cichacz and Tuza proved that, if $|\Gamma|$ is large enough and $|I(\Gamma)|>1$, then $m_i\geq 4$ is sufficient. In this paper we generalize this result for every Abelian group of order $2^n$. Namely, we show that the condition $m_i\geq 3$ is sufficient for $\Gamma$ such that $|I(\Gamma)|>1$ and $|\Gamma|=2^n$, for every positive integer $n$. We also present some applications of this result to graph magic- and anti-magic-type labelings.http://dmtcs.episciences.org/9914/pdfmathematics - combinatoricsmathematics - group theory05e16, 20k01, 05c25, 05c78g.2.1g.2.2
spellingShingle Sylwia Cichacz
Karol Suchan
Zero-sum partitions of Abelian groups of order $2^n$
Discrete Mathematics & Theoretical Computer Science
mathematics - combinatorics
mathematics - group theory
05e16, 20k01, 05c25, 05c78
g.2.1
g.2.2
title Zero-sum partitions of Abelian groups of order $2^n$
title_full Zero-sum partitions of Abelian groups of order $2^n$
title_fullStr Zero-sum partitions of Abelian groups of order $2^n$
title_full_unstemmed Zero-sum partitions of Abelian groups of order $2^n$
title_short Zero-sum partitions of Abelian groups of order $2^n$
title_sort zero sum partitions of abelian groups of order 2 n
topic mathematics - combinatorics
mathematics - group theory
05e16, 20k01, 05c25, 05c78
g.2.1
g.2.2
url http://dmtcs.episciences.org/9914/pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT sylwiacichacz zerosumpartitionsofabeliangroupsoforder2n
AT karolsuchan zerosumpartitionsofabeliangroupsoforder2n