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For an open clamped spline knot sequence and degree $d\ge 1$, the Greville abscissae ${\xi }_i=d^{-1}{\sum }_{r=1}^d{t}_{i+r}$ reproduce the parameter. The B-spline differentiation formula gives derivative coefficients $d({\xi }_i-{\xi }_{i-1})/(t_{i+d}-t_i)=1$. Their lower-degree partition of unity makes the derivative of the weighted sum equal to one. The left endpoint value is the left parameter endpoint, fixing the integration constant to zero. This proves linear precision even with unequal knot intervals.

Write $N_{i,d}$ for the partition-of-unity-normalized degree-$d$ B-spline, supported on $[t_i,t_{i+d+1}]$. Assume $d\ge 1$. First take distinct knots; endpoint repetitions will be interpreted as confluent limits. For fixed parameter $t$, let $f_t(\tau )=(\tau -t{)}_{+}^d$, and formwhere the brackets denote a divided difference in the knot variable $\tau$. This representation follows from the defining properties, rather than assuming a derivative recurrence. If $t<t_i$, $f_t$ is a degree-$d$ polynomial in all its knot arguments and its order-$(d+1)$ divided difference is zero. If $t>t_{i+d+1}$, every truncated-power term is zero. Between knots it is a degree-$d$ polynomial with $d-1$ continuous derivatives. Those support and smoothness conditions determine a one-dimensional spline space: there are $d+1$ spans, the continuity conditions leave $2d+1$ coefficients, and vanishing through order $d-1$ at both support ends imposes $2d$ conditions.

The remaining scalar is fixed by the prescribed integral. Put $a=t_i$, $b=t_{i+d+1}$. Integrating the truncated power first givesThe order-$(d+1)$ divided difference of this polynomial is its leading coefficient $1/(d+1)$, so the proposed $N_{i,d}$ has integral $(b-a)/(d+1)$, exactly the specified normalization.

Now differentiate with respect to $t$ and apply the final recursion for a divided difference:In terms of normalized lower-degree B-splines, this is the B-spline differentiation formulaA zero denominator corresponds to a collapsed-support basis term and contributes zero. Repeated knots follow by coalescing distinct knots; at knots where the classical derivative is discontinuous, read the formula on each open span or one-sided. The stated maximal interior continuity corresponds to simple interior knots, while the clamped endpoint repetitions do not affect the interior argument.

Let the control-point abscissae be the Greville abscissaeCollect the coefficient of $N_{i,d-1}$ after differentiating:The difference of the two consecutive knot averages telescopes toso every noncollapsed coefficient is one. The lower-degree basis on the endpoint-trimmed knot vector has partition of unity; equivalently the outer lower-degree basis functions on the original vector have collapsed support. Therefore $X^{\prime }(t)=1$ on the parameter interval. With $d+1$ repeated left endpoint knots at $a$, the clamped basis has $N_{0,d}(a)=1$, all other values zero, and ${\xi }_0=a$. Thus $X(a)=a$ fixes the constant of integration. Continuity and endpoint limits now giveThis is linear precision at Greville abscissae. It requires neither equal knot spacing nor a restriction on the other control-point coordinates; those determine the remaining coordinates of the parametric curve.