On maximal (k,t)-sets

Summary This investigation was originally motivated by the problem of determining the maximum number of points in finiten-dimensional projective spacePG(n, s) based on the Galois fieldGF(s) of orders=p ^h (wherep andh are positive integers andp is the prime characteristic of the field), such that not of these chosen points are linearly dependent. A set ofk distinct points inPG(n, s), not linearly dependent, is called a (k, t)-set fork ₁ >k. The maximum value ofk is denoted bym _t (n+1, s). The purpose of this paper is to find new upper bounds for some values ofn, s andt. These bounds are of importance in the experimental design and information theory problems.