Unique smooth flex of a cuspidal cubic
ID: unique-smooth-flex-of-a-cuspidal-cubic
Over a field of characteristic different from two and three, let . Its homogeneous Hessian matrix has determinant . Its common zeros with are the cusp and the smooth point . The Hessian criterion for a flex therefore leaves exactly one smooth flex.
At , the projective tangent line is . Restricting the cubic equation to gives , so its intersection multiplicity at is three. Consequently a triple projective line and a cuspidal cubic meeting only at a smooth point are projectively equivalent to under these field hypotheses.
The characteristic restriction matters. In characteristic three, every smooth point can be written and has projective tangent line . Substitution gives , so every smooth point has triple contact. The unique-flex conclusion then fails.
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