Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-algebraic-curves-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2023/1/b/solution
Past exam of the algebraic curves course of the University of Oxford 2023 1 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
If , is a line and has no singular points. Suppose and take to be an irreducible polynomial. First, is not the zero polynomial: otherwise , and a homogeneous polynomial in two variables of degree greater than one factors into linear factors over , contrary to irreducibility.
Let be the polar curve in this coordinate direction. Since , the irreducible polynomial cannot divide . Thus have no common irreducible component, and Bézout's theorem applies. One may count repeated factors of with their multiplicities; alternatively, passing to its reduced equation only decreases .
Every singular point of satisfies and has by part (a). Consequently, if is the number of distinct singular points,This argument also proves that the singular locus is finite.
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