Sylow subgroups of transitive permutation groups II

Abstract

AbstractLet G be a transitive permutation group on a finite set of n points, and let P be a Sylow p-subgroup of G for some prime p dividing |G|. We are concerned with finding a bound for the number f of points of the set fixed by P. Of all the orbits of P of length greater than one, suppose that the ones of minimal length have length q, and suppose that there are k orbits of P of length q. We show that f ≦ kp − ip(n), where ip(n) is the integer satisfying 1 ≦ ip(n) ≦ p and n + ip(n) ≡ 0(mod p). This is a generalisation of a bound found by Marcel Herzog and the author, and this new bound is better whenever P has an orbit of length greater than the minimal length q.