Abstract
This note presents an elementary version of Sims's algorithm for computing strong generators of a given perm group, together with a proof of correctness and some notes about appropriate lowlevel data structures. Upper and lower bounds on the running time are also obtained. (Following a suggestion of Vaughan Pratt, we adopt the convention that perm=permutation, perhaps thereby saving millions of syllables in future research.)
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Dedicated to the memory of Marshall Hall
This research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under grant CCR-86-10181, and by Office of Naval Research contract N00014-87-K-0502.