Past exam of the geometry course of the University of Oxford / 2007 / B / 8 / v

A divisor on an algebraic curve is a finite integer sum $D={\sum }_p{n}_{p}p$; its degree is ${\sum }_p{n}_p$. For a meromorphic function its principal divisor records its zero and pole orders, andLet $K$ be the divisor of a nonzero meromorphic differential, called a canonical divisor. The Riemann-Roch theorem statesMultiplication by that differential identifies $L(K)$ with the space of holomorphic differentials. By the preceding result $L(0)$ consists exactly of constants, so $\ell (0)=1$. Applying the formula at $D=0$ gives $1-\ell (K)=1-g$, hence $\ell (K)=g$.