Deriving Newton's Canonical Forms of Cubic Curves via the Center of Polynomials

Abstract

Existing classifications of real plane cubic curves rely on sophisticated tools and require a lengthy exposition. This paper provides a concise yet elementary treatment of this classical topic. Using the centers of polynomials, we establish a correspondence between the algebraic structure of these centers and geometric properties of binary cubic polynomials, which yields a novel approach to Newton's canonical forms.

18 pages