Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2010/ii/paper-1/24g/i/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 ii Paper 1 24G i Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
The parametrization maps to the cusp. Off the origin its inverse is , since and on with . This is an isomorphism between dense open subsets, so the cusp is birational to .
At the origin the differential of the defining polynomial is zero, giving a two-dimensional Zariski tangent space. The tangent space of at every point is one-dimensional. An isomorphism induces tangent-space isomorphisms, so the cusp is not isomorphic to . The rational inverse cannot extend regularly through the singular point.
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