So, Satoshi Nakamoto selected the secp256k1 curve, and the rest is history. But, how is a curve designed? Well, in ECC, we can have an equation of y²=x³+ax+b (mod p). For a=2, b=3 and p=97, we get the possible points of [here]:
You can check with (1,54), as 54² (mod 97) is 6, and 1³+2 x 1 + 3 (mod 97) is also 6. For (3,91), we have 91² (mod 97) and which is 36, and 3³+ 2 x 3 + 3 (mod 97) is 36. There is no solution for x=2, and x=5. A basic plot is [here]:
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