Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2017 / iii / Paper 134 / 1 / i

The Nakai–Moishezon criterion says that a Cartier divisor $D$ on a projective scheme is ample exactly whenIn particular the test includes each positive-dimensional irreducible component. Here and below, “proper” means proper over the ground field, not necessarily a strict subset of $X$. Interpreting it as a strict subset would make the later criteria false even for an integral projective curve, whose strict closed subvarieties have dimension zero.

The intersection product of Cartier divisors with cycles depends only on their numerical equivalence of divisors classes. One way to see this is to intersect all but one factor first, obtaining a one-cycle; replacing the remaining factor by a numerically equivalent divisor does not change its pairing with that cycle. Multilinearity then handles replacement of every factor. Consequently $D\equiv D^{\prime }$ makes all the displayed numbers equal. ThusThe criterion applies to the integral reduced subvarieties of a possibly nonreduced scheme; ampleness on reduced components explains why the nilpotent structure does not change this condition.