Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2019/ii/paper-3/24f/a/solution

Homogenizing the affine equation gives the projective closure
Its partial derivatives are
If all three vanished at a point of , then and either or . If , the equation forces ; if , the equation forces . Either conclusion gives the forbidden zero triple of homogeneous coordinates. The Jacobian criterion therefore shows that is a smooth projective curve; more specifically, it is the projective closure of y cubed equals x to the fourth plus one, a smooth plane quartic.

New to topics? Read the docs here!