approaching some problems in finite geometry through algebraic.pdfVIP

in Algorithmic Algebraic Combinatorics and Gr¨obner Bases ed. Klin et. al., 2009 Approaching Some Problems in Finite Geometry through Algebraic Geometry G. Eric Moorhouse, University of Wyoming Abstract. In the study of finite geometries one often requires knowledge the ranks of related (0,1)-incidence matrices. We describe some of the combinatorial questions in finite geometry for which formulas for these ranks are useful; and we describe methods from algebraic geometry that are useful in obtaining such rank formulas. 1. Motivation and Background Here we recall the definitions of a few standard notions from finite geometry. Considering the audience for this presentation, many of whom are coding theorists, the coding-theoretic interpretations of our objects of study, and of our results, will occasionally be explicitly mentioned. For a more extensive summary description of the relevant definitions from finite geometry, see e.g. [9], [17], [32]. We denote by P n (F ) the classical projective n-space over the finite field F of order q, q q i.e. the incidence system formed by the subspaces of Fn+1 : the points, lines, planes, etc. q being the subspaces of dimension 1, 2, 3, etc.; thus the vector (k+1)-subspaces of Fn+1 are q the projective k-subspaces. In particular P 2 (F ) denotes the classical (i.e. Desarguesian) q projective plane of order q. Non-classical projective planes exist, but all projective spaces of dime