Schreier–Sims algorithm
Polynomial algorithm for order of permutation group computation
The Schreier–Sims algorithm is an algorithm in computational group theory, named after the mathematicians Otto Schreier and Charles Sims. This algorithm can find the order of a finite permutation group, determine whether a given permutation is a member of the group, and other tasks in polynomial time. It was introduced by Sims in 1970, based on Schreier's subgroup lemma. The running time was subsequently improved by Donald Knuth in 1991. Later, an even faster randomized version of the algorithm was developed.
Background and timing
The algorithm is an efficient method of computing a base and strong generating set (BSGS) of a permutation group. In particular, an SGS determines the order of a group and makes it easy to test membership in the group. Since the SGS is critical for many algorithms in computational group theory, computer algebra systems typically rely on the Schreier–Sims algorithm for efficient calculations in groups.
The running time of Schreier–Sims varies on the implementation. Let
G
≤
S
n
{\displaystyle G\leq S_{n}}
be given by
t
{\displaystyle t}
generators.
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