Algebraic Geometry

Content for around two semesters worth of content on algebraic geometry. The first half of the course focuses on what is considered classical algebraic geometry, that is, chapter one of Harsthorne's book. The second half is somewhat more tricky, focusing on chapter two of Harsthorne, which is the topic of schemes. The key resource for classical algebraic geometry is Harsthorne (chapter one) and Algebraic Geometry by Andreas Gathmann (chapter 1-10). As for schemes, the outstanding book Introduction to Schemes by Geir Ellingsrud and John Christian Ottem provides all the details neccessary and more, from a very intuitive background.

Course Schedule

1. Affine Varieties and Coordinate Ring

Definitions, prime ideals, the Zariski topology, the Nullstellensatz correspondence, and coordinate rings as function rings.

2. Projective Varities and Homogeneous Coordinates

Projective space VIA gluing affine patches, homogeneous idea,s, projective Nullstellensatz, and projective closures.

3. The Zariski Topology in More Detail

Zariski open and closed sets, irreducibility, constructible sets, and the intersection of topology with algebra in a variety.

4. Regular Functions, Morphisms, and Maps

Morphisms of varities, regular maps, local rings, a surface level understanding of sheaves.

5. Rational Maps and Birational Geometry

Rational maps, function fields, dominant maps, birational equivalence, categories, and dualities.

6. Blowing-Up and Resolving Indeterminacies

Motivation for blowing-up, examples, resolving singularities, and ill-defined maps.

7. Singular and Non-Singular Varieties

Tangent spaces, regular local rings, non-singular points, and the relation to smooth manifolds.

8. Dimension, Chains of Subvarieties, and Krull Dimension

Dimension theory, chains of irreducible closed sets, and transcendence degree.

9. Products, Fibered Products, and Families of Varieties

Product varieties, fibered products, parameter spaces, and moduli spaces.

10. Hinting Towards Schmes

Why bother with schemes? Limitations of classical varieties, gluing spectra, and a teaser for Grothenieck's vision of algebraic geometry.

11. From Varieties to Schemes

Formal motivation, gluing affine schemes, and some philosophy

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12. Spec of a Ring and the Zariski Topology

Prime spectra, structure sheaf, basic open sets, and localisation.

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13. Sheaves and Locally Ringes Spaces

Pre-sheaves and sheaves, stalks, and morphisms of locally ringed spaces.

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14. Finally Defining a Scheme!

Affine schemes, gluing VIA sheaves, open affine coverings, and examples.

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15. Morphisms of Schemes

Morphisms, base change, open/closed immersions, and affine morphisms.

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16. Fiber Products and Base Change

Pullbacks of schemes, fibered products, and functoriality.

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17. Affine and Projective n-Space as Schemes

Gluing spectra, constructing projective space VIA Proj, and comparison with classical varieties.

18. Closed Subschemes and Immersions

Ideal sheaves, closed immersions, fiber of morphisms, and universal properties.

19. Dimension Theory and Krull Dimension

Dimension of schemes, chains of prime ideals, and local dimension.

20. Nilpotents, Reduced and Irreducible Schemes, and a Conclusion

Reduced schemes, irreducibility, connectedness, associated points, and rounding up of topics.

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