Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2001 / iii / Paper 30 / 4 / Solution

A balanced incomplete block design has $t$ treatments and $b$ blocks, each containing $k$ distinct treatments with $1<k<t$. Every treatment occurs in $r$ blocks and every distinct treatment pair occurs together in $\lambda >0$ blocks. A symmetric balanced incomplete block design has $b=t$, which implies $r=k$ by the first counting identity below.

For the separate even-order condition, let $N$ be the square treatment-by-block incidence matrix of a set system of a symmetric design. Its diagonal overlap counts are $r$ and its off-diagonal counts are $\lambda$, givingThe counting identities proved in the next slots show that $r=k$ and $r+(t-1)\lambda =r^2$. Consequently the eigenvalues of $N{N}^T$ are $r^2$ on the constant vector and $r-\lambda$ on its $(t-1)$-dimensional orthogonal complement. Taking determinants givesIf $b=t$ is even, the exponent $t-1$ is odd. The exponent of every prime in $\det (N{)}^2$ and in $r^2$ is even; therefore its exponent in the positive integer $r-\lambda$ must be even. This proves the even-order symmetric design square obstruction:It is a necessary condition, not a sufficiency claim.