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Use the usual convention that a variety is an irreducible variety. For a quasi-projective algebraic set $T$, its algebraic dimension is the supremum of the lengths $r$ of strict chainsof nonempty irreducible closed subsets of $T$. It is the maximum of the algebraic dimensions of its irreducible components. On an affine algebraic set, the correspondence between irreducible closed subsets and prime ideals reverses inclusion, so this is the Krull dimension of the coordinate ring. On a quasi-projective algebraic set, it is the supremum of the Krull dimensions of the coordinate rings of its affine open subsets. At a closed point $x$, the Krull dimension of the local ring measures chains through $x$.

Here is a closed-point dimension lemma for affine domains that avoids transcendence degree. Put $A=k[X]$. By Noether normalization, there is a integral extensionThe number of variables is $d$ because integral extensions preserve Krull dimension and $\dim B=d$. For any maximal ideal $\mathfrak{m}$ of $A$, its contraction $\mathfrak{n}$ to $B$ is a maximal ideal. Since $k$ is an algebraically closed field, $\mathfrak{n}=(z_1-c_1,\dots ,z_d-c_d)$ has height of a prime ideal $d$. The going-down theorem applies because $B$ is an integrally closed domain and $A$ is a integral domain. It lifts a length-$d$ chain below $\mathfrak{n}$ to one below $\mathfrak{m}$. HenceThe opposite inequality follows from $\dim A=d$.

For the nonempty open subset $U$, choose a nonempty principal open subset $D(g)\subset U$ and a closed point $x\in D(g)$. Every prime ideal below ${\mathfrak{m}}_x$ avoids $g$, so the preceding chain survives in the localization $A_g$. Consequently $\dim D(g)\ge d$. Conversely, any chain of irreducible closed subsets in $U$ gives a chain of the same length after taking closures in $X$: intersecting those closures with $U$ recovers the original subsets. Therefore

For the principal hypersurface dimension lemma, let $P$ be a minimal prime ideal over $(f)$. Since $f\ne 0$ in the integral domain $A$, $P\ne (0)$. The Krull principal ideal theorem gives $\mathrm{ht}P=1$. Choose a closed point $x$ on $V(P)$ lying on none of the other finitely many irreducible components of $V(f)$. Such a point exists because those other components cut out proper closed subsets of the irreducible variety $V(P)$, and closed points are dense. Set $R=A_{{\mathfrak{m}}_x}$. Then $\dim R=d$ andWrite $s=\dim R/fR$. Choose a system of parameters ${\bar{y}}_1,\dots ,{\bar{y}}_s$ in $R/fR$ and lift it to $R$. The ideal $(f,y_1,\dots ,y_s)$ has radical equal to the maximal ideal of $R$. The Krull height theorem yields $d\le s+1$. On the other hand, any chain of prime ideals containing $f$ can be extended strictly at the bottom by the zero prime ideal of the integral domain $R$, giving $s\le d-1$. Thus $s=d-1$. Since $R/PR$ is a localization of $A/P$, $\dim A/P\ge d-1$. Extending a chain in $A/P$ by $(0)⊊P$ also gives $\dim A/P\le d-1$. Hence every component has the required dimension:This argument uses Noether normalization, going-down theorem, and the Krull height theorem, never the dimension from the function field theorem. Irreducibility is essential: if the word variety were instead allowed to mean an arbitrary reducible affine algebraic set, neither assertion would hold without extra hypotheses. For example, a disjoint union of an affine plane and an affine line has an open component of smaller algebraic dimension; a function equal to $1$ on the plane and a coordinate on the line has a nonempty zero set of algebraic dimension $0$.

Write $a=t_1$, $b=t_2$, $c=t_3$, and $A=\mathbb{C}[a,b,c]/(ac-b^2)$. It is the quadratic cone invariant ringwhere the involution negates both $u$ and $v$. The invariant monomials have even total degree and are generated by $u^2,uv,v^2$; reduction by $ac=b^2$ proves the asserted presentation.

To verify the normal variety property, suppose $q\in \mathrm{Frac}(A)$ is integral over $A$. The same monic equation makes $q$ integral over $\mathbb{C}[u,v]$. This polynomial ring is an integrally closed domain, so $q\in \mathbb{C}[u,v]$. Since $q$ belongs to the fraction field of $A$, it is invariant under the involution, and hence belongs to $A$. Thus $X$ is normal. The gradient of its equation is $(c,-2b,a)$, so the Jacobian criterion shows that the origin $o$ is its only singular point of an algebraic variety. In particular $X$ is not smooth.

Take the prime Weil divisor $D=V_X(a,b)$ and $x=o$. We show that $D$ is not a Cartier divisor at $o$. In the local ringits prime ideal is $I=(a,b)R$. The quotient $I/\mathfrak{m}I$ has dimension of a vector space $2$ over $\mathbb{C}$: $a,b$ generate it, and they are independent since $\mathfrak{m}I\subset {\mathfrak{m}}^2$ while the relation $ac-b^2$ has no linear term. By Nakayama lemma, $I$ cannot be generated by one element.

On a normal variety, the ideal of an effective prime Weil divisor is the divisorial ideal of functions with order at least one along that divisor and order at least zero along every other prime Weil divisor. If $D$ were a Cartier divisor at $o$, a local defining rational function $h$ would identify this ideal with $hR$, because an integrally closed domain is the intersection of its height-one localizations at a prime ideal inside its fraction field. That would make $I$ principal, contradicting the calculation. Therefore $D$ has a nonzero class in the local divisor class group.

Now let $D^{\prime }=D+\mathrm{div}(q)$ be any linearly equivalent Weil divisor. If $o$ were outside its support of a Weil divisor, there would be an open subset containing $o$ on which $D^{\prime }$ is zero. On that neighbourhood $D=-\mathrm{div}(q)$ would be a principal Weil divisor, hence a Cartier divisor, which is impossible. Therefore this point is unavoidable in every representative:The argument does not assume that $D^{\prime }$ is effective. For comparison, $\mathrm{div}(a)=2D$ because on the chart $c\ne 0$, $a=b^2/c$; the obstruction has order two, as in the Divisor class group of an A-type surface singularity.

Work on affine open subsets. Their coordinate rings are Noetherian rings and integrally closed domains. At a prime ideal of height of a prime ideal one, the local ring is a one-dimensional Noetherian local ring which is an integrally closed domain, hence a discrete valuation ring and therefore a regular local ring. At the generic point the local ring is a field, hence a regular local ring. For a brief justification of the one-dimensional local ring fact, take $0\ne a\in \mathfrak{m}$ in a one-dimensional Noetherian local ring $R$ which is an integrally closed domain. Some ${\mathfrak{m}}^n\subset (a)$; choose the least such $n$, and choose $b\in {\mathfrak{m}}^{n-1}\setminus (a)$. Then $q=b/a\notin R$, but $q\mathfrak{m}\subset R$. If $q\mathfrak{m}\subset \mathfrak{m}$, the determinant trick applied to the finitely generated faithful module $\mathfrak{m}$ would make $q$ integral over $R$, a contradiction. Hence the ideal $q\mathfrak{m}$ contains a unit and equals $R$. Thus $\mathfrak{m}=q^{-1}R$ is principal. A one-dimensional Noetherian local ring with principal maximal ideal is a discrete valuation ring. Therefore a normal variety is regular in codimension one.

The ground field is an algebraically closed field, hence a perfect field, so having a regular local ring is equivalent to being a smooth point of a variety here. Moreover, the smooth locus of a variety is open, making the singular locus closed. If an irreducible component of the singular locus had algebraic codimension zero or one, its generic point would have a regular local ring by the preceding argument, a contradiction. Consequently every such component has algebraic codimension at least two.

One can read the numerical bound directly from chains of prime ideals, without identifying algebraic dimension with transcendence degree. For a prime ideal $P$ of height of a prime ideal at least two in an affine chart, append a chain $(0)⊊P_1⊊P$ below any chain in the quotient by $P$. Its length increases by two. Thus $\dim A/P\le \dim A-2$. Since a nonempty affine open subset of the irreducible variety $X$ has algebraic dimension $d$,For $d=0$ or $1$, this means the singular locus is empty; take $\dim \varnothing =-\infty$.

For a smooth projective curve $C$, let $g=h^1(C,{\mathcal{O}}_C)$ be its geometric genus, let $K_C$ be a canonical divisor, and write $\ell (D)=h^0(C,{\mathcal{O}}_C(D))$ for the dimension of a vector space of the Riemann-Roch space. The Riemann-Roch theorem saysfor every divisor on an algebraic curve $D$ on $C$.

Here is the cohomological proof of Riemann-Roch for curves. At a closed point $P$, the local ring is a discrete valuation ring. A local uniformizer shows that increasing the allowed pole order by one gives the short exact sequence of sheavesThe last term is a length-one skyscraper sheaf; its precise identification with $k$ is noncanonical, but its sheaf cohomology has $h^0=1$ and $h^1=0$. All the relevant groups of sheaf cohomology are finite-dimensional because $C$ is a projective variety, and coherent sheaf cohomology above degree one vanishes on a algebraic curve. The long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology therefore givesSince $k$ is an algebraically closed field, every closed point has degree one. Iterating this identity for both positive and negative coefficients of $D$ provesEvery global regular function on a projective variety which is an irreducible variety is constant; hence $h^0(C,{\mathcal{O}}_C)=1$ and $\chi ({\mathcal{O}}_C)=1-g$.

Finally apply Serre duality for a smooth projective curve:Taking dimensions of a vector space and inserting this in the Euler characteristic of a coherent sheaf identity proves the displayed Riemann-Roch theorem. The substantial inputs from sheaf cohomology are finiteness and vanishing for coherent sheaves on a projective curve, and Serre duality; the change of Euler characteristic of a coherent sheaf is proved directly by the point exact sequence. In particular the argument handles negative as well as effective divisors on an algebraic curve.

An irreducible scheme is a nonempty scheme whose underlying topological space cannot be expressed as the union of two proper closed subsets. Equivalently, any two nonempty open subsets meet. A reduced scheme is one whose local rings have no nonzero nilpotent elements. Equivalently, every affine open subscheme has a reduced ring of regular functions. We may define an integral scheme as a nonempty scheme for which the coordinate ring of every nonempty affine open subscheme is an integral domain. We shall show that this is equivalent to being reduced and irreducible. The nonempty convention matters: the empty scheme is reduced but is not irreducible or integral.

For a commutative ring $A$, the spectrum of a ring is reduced exactly when $A$ is a reduced ring. One direction follows since localization preserves reducedness. Conversely, if $a$ is a nonzero nilpotent element, choose a prime ideal containing its proper annihilator. Then $a/1$ cannot vanish at that localization, contradicting reducedness of its local ring.

The spectrum of a ring is irreducible exactly when its nilradical $N=\sqrt{(0)}$ is a prime ideal. To see the essential implication directly, if $ab\in N$, then $D(a)\cap D(b)=D(ab)$ is empty. Irreducibility forces $D(a)$ or $D(b)$ to be empty, hence $a\in N$ or $b\in N$. Also $N$ is proper because the spectrum is nonempty. Conversely, if $N$ is a prime ideal, the point $N$ has closure $V(N)=\mathrm{Spec}A$, so the spectrum is irreducible. Combining the two criteria gives

Now suppose $X$ is reduced and irreducible. Every nonempty affine open subscheme is also reduced and irreducible: irreducibility passes to nonempty open subsets, because their nonempty open subsets are nonempty opens of $X$. The affine criterion makes each coordinate ring an integral domain, so $X$ is integral. Conversely, suppose all its nonempty affine coordinate rings are integral domains. Their localizations show that $X$ is reduced. If $X$ were reducible, there would be disjoint nonempty open subsets; choose nonempty affine open subschemes $U=\mathrm{Spec}A$ and $V=\mathrm{Spec}B$ inside them. Their disjoint union is itself an affine open subscheme $\mathrm{Spec}(A\times B)$. Since $A,B$ are nonzero, $(1,0)(0,1)=0$ contradicts the domain condition. Therefore

The generic point of an integral scheme $X$ is the unique point $\eta$ with $\overline{\{\eta \}}=X$. For existence, take a nonempty affine open subscheme $V=\mathrm{Spec}A$. Its point $(0)$ has closure containing $V$, which is dense in $X$, so its closure in $X$ is all of $X$. For uniqueness, both proposed generic points lie in every nonempty open subset, hence in $V$, where the only dense point is $(0)$. The function field isHere the stalk description shows that the field of fractions is independent of the choice of nonempty affine open subscheme.

Every nonempty open subscheme $U$ contains $\eta$, so taking a germ there defines $\Gamma (U,{\mathcal{O}}_X)\to K(X)$. If a section has zero germ, restrict it to any nonempty affine open subscheme $V\subseteq U$. Its image in $\mathrm{Frac}\Gamma (V,{\mathcal{O}}_X)$ is zero. Since this coordinate ring is an integral domain, the section is zero on $V$. Such affines cover $U$, and the sheaf gluing axiom makes the section zero on $U$. Thus the generic-point embedding of regular functions is

For a nonreduced reducible fibre between integral schemes, take both source and target to be the affine line over $\mathbb{C}$, and use the ring homomorphismBoth coordinate rings are integral domains, so both schemes are integral. At the target closed point $t=0$, the scheme-theoretic fibre has ringby the Chinese remainder theorem. Its underlying space has two distinct closed points, so it is reducible. The class of $x(x-1)$ is nonzero but has square zero, so it is not reduced. Even a morphism between integral schemes can have a fibre consisting of two nonreduced double points.