Let denote a hyperplane-section divisor of a projective plane curve. The Adjunction formula for a smooth degree- projective plane curve states
Since , this gives the canonical degree of a smooth plane curve
Combining this with gives the genus of a smooth plane curve
Homogenization of the affine equation gives the projective completion
This is the plane model y plus x cubed plus xy cubed equals zero of the Klein quartic: after the coordinate relabelling , its equation is .
Its first partial derivatives are
If one of vanishes at a common zero of these three derivatives, the displayed equations successively force all three coordinates to vanish, which is impossible in projective space. If , multiplying the three derivative equations gives
again a contradiction. The Jacobian criterion therefore proves that is smooth.
The rational function defines a rational map of projective varieties . Because is a smooth projective curve, it extends uniquely to a morphism
For a generic finite value of , its fibre is given by the cubic
so the degree of a holomorphic map is . The discriminant of a depressed cubic is
At the fibre consists of . Since , the holomorphic implicit function theorem gives
so is a local coordinate and has ramification index of a holomorphic map there. Each of the seven distinct roots of gives one double, but not triple, root of the cubic in , hence seven further ramification points of index .
It remains to inspect the points at infinity. They are
Near , set and . The equation becomes , so , while has a simple pole. Thus . Near , set and . Now , so and
Thus has a double pole at and . These calculations are the ramification of the x-coordinate on the Klein quartic after the coordinate relabelling above.
The total ramification contribution is
The Riemann-Hurwitz formula for the degree-three map to the projective line now gives
and therefore
Let for a nonzero homogeneous linear polynomial . Because does not contain , the restriction is a nonzero section of . Its zero divisor is the hyperplane-section divisor of a projective plane curve
where is the local intersection multiplicity; equivalently, it is the order of vanishing of at .
The curves and have no common component and have degrees and . The Bézout theorem therefore gives