Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-geometry-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2009/b/5/iii/solution

On the nonsingular cubic, . Substituting this into the Hessian equation leaves . Since , a flex has a zero coordinate. The remaining cubic equation then gives the nine points
where . All are distinct, smooth, and lie on both the cubic and its Hessian curve, so they are exactly the inflection points. In particular the nine flexes are independent of within the nonsingular family. This is the flex configuration of the Hesse pencil.

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