Differential invariants of surfaces

The algebra of differential invariants of a suitably generic surface S ⊂ R³, under either the usual Euclidean or equi-affine group actions, is shown to be generated, through invariant differentiation, by a single differential invariant. For Euclidean surfaces, the generating invariant is the mean curvature, and, as a consequence, the Gauss curvature can be expressed as an explicit rational function of the invariant derivatives, with respect to the Frenet frame, of the mean curvature. For equi-affine surfaces, the generating invariant is the third order Pick invariant. The proofs are based on the new, equivariant approach to the method of moving frames.