Nonreduced scheme

A scheme is nonreduced when its structure sheaf contains a nonzero nilpotent element. For an affine scheme $\mathrm{Spec}(A/I)$, this is equivalent to the ideal $I$ not being radical.

The spectrum of the dual number ring $k[ϵ]/({ϵ}^2)$ is a nonreduced scheme of length two supported at one point. Its nonzero nilpotent $ϵ$ retains first-order information that the underlying singleton topological space forgets. It differs from the disjoint union of two reduced $k$-points.