Projectivities between bundles of plane higher order curves (Q1775248)

In the real complexified or the complex plane the set of all curves of \(n\)th degree containing \(n(n+3)/2-1=:b\) given base points is called bundle of \(n\)-curves (also named pencil of \(n\)-curves). If \(\Omega:{\mathcal B}_1\rightarrow{\mathcal B}_2\) is a projectivity between the bundles \({\mathcal B}_1\) and \({\mathcal B}_2\) of \(n\)-curves having \(b-1\) base points in common, then the locus \({\mathcal L}_{\Omega}\) of intersection points of \(\Omega\)-corresponding \(n\)-curves is a \(2n\)-curve for which the \(b-1\) common base points are double points. The author proves the following main theorem: Assume that \(O_1,O_2,\dots,O_{b-1}\) are among the base points of the bundles \({\mathcal B}_1\), \({\mathcal B}_2\), \({\mathcal B}_3\) of \(n\)-curves and let \(\Omega_1:{\mathcal B}_1\rightarrow{\mathcal B}_2\), \(\Omega_2:{\mathcal B}_2\rightarrow{\mathcal B}_3\), and \(\Omega_3:{\mathcal B}_3\rightarrow{\mathcal B}_1\) be projectivities whose composition \(\Omega_{3}\circ\Omega_{2}\circ\Omega_{1}:{\mathcal B}_1\rightarrow{\mathcal B}_1\) is the identity, then the three \(2n\)-curves \({\mathcal L}_{\Omega_1}\), \({\mathcal L}_{\Omega_2}\), \({\mathcal L}_{\Omega_3}\) have in general, apart from \(O_1,O_2,\dots,O_{b-1}\), another \(3(n^2-3n+4)/2\) common points. From the main theorem the author deduces numerous corollaries concerning bundles of conics and especially bundles of circles, e.g., the ``theorem of the three conics'' which says: If three conics have two common points, then the three lines connecting the two other common points of the conics, taken two by two, are concurrent.