Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2002/iii/paper-24/1/b/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2002 iii Paper 24 1 b Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Here the inverse in the elliptic curve group law is . For , the line is . Substitution in the Weierstrass equation of an elliptic curve givesThe third intersection is , so reflection givesFor the difference, first take . The line through and is , and now the intersection polynomial is . Its third point is , givingFinally, implicit differentiation gives . The tangent line at therefore has slope and equation . Its intersection polynomial factors as . The double root records the intersection multiplicity of the tangent, and the remaining intersection is . Hence
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