Bézout's Theorem
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Theorem
Let $X$ and $Y$ be two plane projective curves defined over a field $F$ that do not have a common component.
(This condition is true if both $X$ and $Y$ are defined by different irreducible polynomials. In particular, it holds for a pair of "generic" curves.)
Then the total number of intersection points of $X$ and $Y$ with coordinates in an algebraically closed field $E$ which contains $F$, counted with their multiplicities, is equal to the product of the degrees of $X$ and $Y$.
Proof
Source of Name
This entry was named for Étienne Bézout.
Historical Note
Bézout's Theorem was originally published in $1779$ by Étienne Bézout in his Théorie Générale des Équations Algébriques.
Sources
- 1779: Étienne Bézout: Théorie Générale des Équations Algébriques
- 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Entry: Bézout's Theorem