On the reconstruction problem for Pascal lines

DOI10.1007/S00454-018-9981-4MaRDI QIDQ1991090zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Abdelmalek Abdesselam, Jaydeep Chipalkatti

Publication date 30 October 2018

Published in Discrete \& Computational Geometry (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1608.05056

zbMATH Keywords

invariant theory of binary formsPascal linestransvectants

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Projective techniques in algebraic geometry (14N05) Questions of classical algebraic geometry (51N35)

Abstract: Given a sextuple of distinct points $A,B,C,D,E,F$ on a conic, arranged into an array $$, Pascal's theorem says that the points $AEcapBF,BDcapCE,ADcapCF$ are collinear. The line containing them is called the Pascal of the array, and one gets altogether sixty such lines by permuting the points. In this paper we prove that the initial sextuple can be explicitly reconstructed from four specifically chosen Pascals. The reconstruction formulae are encoded by some transvectant identities which are proved using the graphical calculus for binary forms.

Review text

If \((A, B, C, D, E, F)\) is a sixtupel of points on a conic, the six points \(AE \cap BF\), \(BD \cap CE\), \(AD \cap CF\) lie on a straight line, the sixtuple's \textit{Pascal axis.} Permutations of the points give rise to a configuration of 60 Pascal axes, known as ``Pascal hexagram or ``hexagrammum mysticum. This paper shows that it is possible to reconstruct the six points in a unique way from the Pascal axes \[ (A,D,B,E,C,F),\;(A,C,F,E,D,B),\;(A,D,F,E,C,B),\;(A,B,C,F,D,E). \] The roles of the four sixtuples are not symmetric. Arranging the entries in a \(2 \times 3\) matrix, the columns of the first three sixtuples all give rise to the partition \(\{A, E\} \cup \{C, D\} \cup \{B, F\}\) while the last sixtuple gives \(\{A, F\} \cup \{B, D\} \cup \{C, E\}\). The first three sixtuples allow to reconstruct the conic chords \(AE\), \(CD\), and \(BF\) but are not sufficient for a proper assignment of endpoints. The proof shows that coordinates of \(A\), \(B\), \(C\), \(D\), \(E\), and \(F\) actually rational functions of the given Pascal axes' line coordinates. This not only implies uniqueness but also suggest existence of a (yet unknown) elementary geometric construction for them. The non-trivial proof avoids computer algebra. Instead it reduces the reconstruction problem to transvecant identities that are then shown to be true by a graphical calculus for binary forms.

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Cited in

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• An algebraic independence result related to a conjecture of Dixmier on binary form invariants
• On the coincidences of Pascal lines
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1966628 (Why is no real title available?)
• Relative conics and their Brianchon points
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