For questions on or pertaining to Latin squares.
In combinatorics and in experimental design, a Latin square is an $n \times n$ array filled with $n$ different symbols, each occurring exactly once in each row and exactly once in each column.
For example, the two Latin squares of order two are given by $$\begin{pmatrix} 1 & 2 \\ 2 & 1 \end{pmatrix}\qquad\text{and}\qquad\begin{pmatrix} 2 & 1 \\ 1 & 2 \end{pmatrix}$$
- Sudoku is a special case of a Latin square.
- In the design of experiments, Latin squares are a special case of row-column designs for two blocking factors.
- Many row-column designs are constructed by concatenating Latin squares.
- In algebra, Latin squares are generalizations of groups.
- In fact, Latin squares are characterized as being the multiplication tables (Cayley tables) of quasigroups.
- A binary operation whose table of values forms a Latin square is said to obey the Latin square property.
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