ON THE CURVES WHICH SATISFY GIVEN CONDITIONS.
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of the sextic surface leads to the following values (agreeing with those obtained from
the formulae by writing therein m = n = 2, a = 6), viz.
(1 : :) =6, = 2m + n,
(1, 1 .'.) = 4, = 2m 2 + 2 mn + f n 2 — 2m — \n — fa,
(2.-.) =6, = a,
(3 :) =4, = — 4m — 3n + 3a.
I remark that the section by an arbitrary plane is a sextic curve having 6 cusps and
4 nodes; it is therefore a iinicurscil sextic; this suggests the theorem that the sextic
surface is also unicursal, viz. that the coordinates are expressible rationally in terms of
two parameters ; I have found that this is in fact the case. In doing this there is
no loss of generality in supposing that a = b = c = 1; and assuming that this is so,
and putting also — 1 + h = k, 1 +h — k 1} and therefore 2h = k + k lf we have
A — — 3 kki,
B = — kk\w — (k + ki) z,
G = — x 2 — y 2 — z 2 + (k + h) (xy — zw),
D — 3z (2xy — zw).
The equation of the sextic surface being, as before,
A 2 D 2 + 4>AC 3 + 4 B 3 D - 3 B 2 G 2 - 6 A BCD = 0,
I say that this equation is satisfied on writing therein
~2
+ y = Y"~3fc(i“ ^ sin
- y = \/\ (1 + k a) cos <p,
= 1,
w = ^2a — co8?(f) + ^2a — sin 2 <p,
where (a, </>) are arbitrary. In fact these values give
%A = — kk\ cos 2 cp — kk x sin 2 <£,
B = — k (2a&! + 1) cos 2 cf) — k\ (2ak +1) sin 2 <p,
C = — k ( ak\ + 2) cos 2 <p — k\a ( ak + 2) sin 2 (p,
£D = — ka 2 cos 2 (f> — k x a 2 sin 2 (p,
whence, <w being arbitrary, we have
±(A, B, C, D$o>, l) 3
= — [A: cos 2 <p (k\co + 1) + k\ sin 2 (p (kco + 1)] (a) + a) 2 ,