Computing the intersections of three conics according to their Jacobian curve (Q491258)

Let \(A\), \(B\), and \(C\) be irreducible conics of the real (or complex) projective plane. The Jacobian curve \(j\) of \(A\), \(B\), \(C\) is formed by the points whose polars with respect to \(A\), \(B\), and \(C\) are concurrent. Using the determinantal representation \(J\) of \(j\), the authors prove: If \(J\) is irreducible, then \(A\), \(B\), and \(C\) have a common point if and only if \(J=0\) has a singular point. If \(J\) is reducible, then there exist four different cases: an extensive discussion of these cases shows that also so-called reduced points of \(J=0\) must be taken into account. The authors ``construct an explicit structural connection between the intersection of three conics and the singularities of their associated Jacobian curve.'' All results are illustrated by figures and examples. Finally, the authors provide an algorithm for computing the intersection of three conics. The chosen procedure seems to be easier than other ones and it ``yields a method for designing cubic curves with expected singularities from a triple of conics.''