For representatives and , a point belongs to their projective line exactly when these three vectors are linearly dependent. The determinant criterion gives
Expanding along the first row gives
The coefficient vector is the cross product . It is nonzero because the projective points are distinct. Rescaling either representative merely rescales all three coefficients, leaving the projective line unchanged. This is the join formula in projective joins and meets by cross products.
The corresponding side equations, computed using projective joins and meets by cross products, are
Subtracting the two equations in each row and substituting back gives the three projective points
For example, the first pair forces and ; the second pair forces and ; the last pair forces . All three satisfy
since , , and . The coefficient vector is nonzero, so this is a projective line. Thus the corresponding-side intersections are collinear, explicitly confirming Desargues's theorem.
The diagram uses the affine chart with coordinates and . Here the center is finite, the axis is , and lies on the projective line at infinity. The apparent parallelism of and records their common vertical point at infinity, which also belongs to the axis.
Figure 1.
Desargues's theorem: three connectors meet at O and three side intersections lie on one projective line
. Original drawing in the affine chart x+y+z=1. Blue and orange triangles are in perspectivity from O. Two side intersections X and Z lie on the red vertical axis; the third intersection Y is its vertical point at infinity. Details.
Apply projective joins and meets by cross products to each corresponding pair. The cross products of their representatives are proportional to , , and , respectively. Hence
Their common point is
It is a valid projective point, because its representative is nonzero. The three equations force , so this common projective point is unique. Thus the two projective triangles are in perspectivity from a point .