MATH 521:

Introduction to Algebraic Geometry*, Fall 99


Description:

Classical Algebraic Geometry is concerned with understanding the set of solutions  (z1, ... , zn)  in  Cn  of a system of complex polynomial equations  p1(z1, ... , zn) = 0, ... , pm(z1, ... , zn) = 0 .   Such a set is called a (complex affine) algebraic variety.  There are strong connections between algebraic geometry and essentially all branches of pure mathematics, some applied mathematics, and mathematical physics.

Some of the topics covered will include

We intend to discuss many general properties of varieties including and also consider many classical examples including Veronese, Segre, Grassmann, Fano, Secant, determinantal, and quadric varieties.  Prerequisites for the course include some some modern algebra (such as Math 463) and some complex analysis (such as Math 382 or 427).

*Warning: The official name for Math 521 is "Advanced Topics in Real Analysis". For Fall 1999, the course description in the General Announcements should be replaced by the above.

Meets:

MWF 1PM in Herman Brown 453

Instructor:

Robert Hardt    Office: Herman Brown 430; Office hours: 11-12 MWF (and others by appt.),
    Email: hardt@rice.edu, Telephone: ext 3280

Text:

Joe Harris, Algebraic Geometry, A First Course, Springer-Verlag Graduate Texts in Math. 133, 1992.

Syllabus:

We skip around a bit especially for the first few weeks.

Algebraic Varieties in Kn.  Projective space KPn.(pp.3-5)
Projective hyperplanes, linear subspaces, and varieties. (pp.3-8). A statement of Bezout's Theorem. (p.173)
Counting tangent lines to a fixed conic from a fixed point.
Conics simultaneously containing 5 points (p.12) or tangent to 5 lines.
Gauss map of a planar curve. (p.188)
Ideals of varieties (p.48), Hilbert Basis theorem, K[x1, ... , xn]  is Noetherian.
Zariski  topology (pp.17-18). Finite sets as varieties (pp. 6-7).
Twisted Cubic(pp. 9-10)
Complete and set-theoretic intersections (pp.136-137)
Hilbert's Nullstellensatz and consequences (pp. 48-62)
Regular Maps (pp. 21-25)
Cones, projections, and products (pp.31-40)
Dimension definitions (pp.133-135)
Regularity of Zariski open dense subset of complex hypersurface

Oct.25- Rational functions and maps (pp.72-81)
Incidence and secant varieties (pp.142-143)
Smoothness and Zariski tangent space (pp.174-177)
Stratification of complex varieties
Projective tangent spaces (181-183)
Degree and Bezout's theorem (224-229), (235-237)
 

Homepage:

http://math.rice.edu/~hardt/521

Remarks on lectures:

Friday, Sept.3:  There was a siign error in deriving the equation for the set of conics tangent to the line  y=0 .  A point on the intersection of the general conic  ax2 +by2 +cz2+dxy+eyz+fxz = 0   and the line  y=0  satisfies ax2 + cz2 + fxz = 0 .  In the affine coordinate system  z=1, the tangency condition is obtained by setting  d/dx( ax2 + c + fx) equal to 0 , that is,  2ax + f = 0 . Substituting  x = -2a/f , gives the correct quadratic relation 4ac - f2 = 0 .  Alternately one can work in the other affine coordinate system  x=1,  where one uses   d/dz(a + cz2 + fz) = 0  to substitute into  a + cz2 + fz = 0  and again obtain the same relation 4ac - f2 = 0 .

Wed., Oct.19:  As in Harris, our field  K  will always be algebraically closed.

Mon., Nov. 30:  To give rigorous definitions of the projection and intersection multiplicities we now assume that  K = C , the complex field, and use the classical topology to define distinguished neighborhoods.
 

Exercises:

1.  Suppose  H  is a nonempty subset of  n-dimensional projective space  KPn .
Show that  H  is a projective hyperplane
iff  each coordinate neighborhood image  Fj(H intersect Uj) , if nonempty, is an  n dimensional affine hyperplane in  Kn
iff  {(0,...,0)}union{ (a0,...,an+1) in Kn+1  :   [a0,...,an+1] in H }  is an  n dimensional linear subspace of   Kn+1 .

2. Suppose  p(x0,x1,x2)  is a nonconstant homogeneous polynomial of degree 2 . Find all the possible topological types of the corresponding projective real algebraic variety  V = { [x0,x1,x2] in RP:  p(x0,x1,x2) = 0 }.

3.  Exercise 1.3 on page 6 of Harris. (See the hint in the back of the book.)

4.  Exercise 1.21.  There is a unique planar conic passing through  5  given points (in general position) in  CP2.
Hint:  The condition that the conic  ax2+by2+cz2+dxy+eyz+fxz = 0  pass through the points  p1=(x1,y1,z1), ... , p5=(x5,y5,z5)
is a system of 5 homogeneous linear equations in the  6 unknowns a,b,c,d,e,f . One must show that the rank of the
5 x 6 coefficient matrix is  5  for generic choice of  p1 , ...,  p5  in  (C3)5 = C15 .  By showing this condition is a Zariski open set in C15 one needs only check that it is nonempty (by finding one specific good choice of  p1 , ...,  p5 ) to conclude that it is both open and dense.

5. If  A  is a Noetherian ring and  F : A -> B is a surjective ring homomorphism, then  B  is Noetherian.

6. If A is Noetherian and  S  is a multiplicative subset of  A , then  S-1A = { a/s  :  a in A, s in S }  is Noetherian.

7.  Show that a set of 7 points in general in the projective plane CPmay be described as the set-theoretic intersection of two curves.  How about  8  points?

8.  Exercise 5.5.

9.  Exercise 5.9.

10.  Exercise 2.2.

11. Show that the field  C  of complex numbers has infinite transcendency degree over the field  Q  of rational numbers.

12.  Show that subvarieties  V  and  W  of  Kn  are isomorphic if and only if their corresponding coordinate rings  A(V)  and  A(W)  are isoorphic as  K  algebras.

13.  Show that a regular function on  CPn  is a constant.

14. Show that if    V1 , ... ,  Vj    are the irreducible components of a projective variety  V , then
dim V =  supi dim Vi .

15. Show that the field of rational functions  K(KPn) = K(Kn) = K(x1,...,xn) = { p/q  |  p,q in K[x1,...,xn] , q not identically 0} .

16. Show that  if  f : X --> Y is rational and  f* : K(Y) -> K(X)  is an isomorphism, then  f | U is an isomorphism for some dense open subset  U  of  X .

17.  Show that  dim  LkV  =  n! / k!(n-k)!  when dim V = n ..

18.  Exercise 15.15

19.  Exercise 16.14

20.  Exercise 18.18
 
 

Some Pictures : (contributions welcome)

1. Clebsch Cubic

This page is maintained by Robert Hardt ( email )
Last edited 12/9/99.