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Two irreducible varieties $X$ and $Y$ are birational if they contain nonempty Zariski-open subsets $U\subseteq X$ and $V\subseteq Y$ that are isomorphic. Equivalently, their function fields are isomorphic:For an irreducible variety,An isomorphism of function fields preserves transcendence degree, so $\dim X=\dim Y$. This is the dimension from the function field.

Now let $K/\mathbb{C}$ be a finitely generated field extension. Choose field generators $a_1,\dots ,a_m$ and setThen $A$ is a finitely generated integral $\mathbb{C}$-algebra and $\mathrm{Frac}(A)=K$. The affine irreducible varietyhas function field $K$. Embed $X_0$ as a closed affine subvariety of some affine space ${\mathbb{A}}^N$, identify that affine space with the standard open chart of projective space ${\mathbb{P}}^N$, and take the projective closure $X$ of $X_0$. The closure of an irreducible topological space is irreducible, and $X_0$ is dense and open in $X$. Thus $X$ is a projective variety andThis constructs the projective model of a finitely generated field.

For the curveputIn its function field, the defining equation givesHence $\mathbb{C}(X)=\mathbb{C}(t)$, so $X$ is rational. Equivalently, this is the normalization of y squared equals x times x minus one squared, whose smooth projective normalization is ${\mathbb{P}}^1$ and has geometric genus zero.

A smooth projective curve in the projective plane of degree $d$ has, by the genus of a smooth plane curve formula,Its genus can be zero only for $d=1$ or $d=2$. Conversely, a projective line and every smooth conic over $\mathbb{C}$ are rational, so each is birational to $X$. Therefore the required degrees are exactly

Finally, in ${\mathbb{A}}_{x,y,z}^3$ takeThe polynomial $F$ is irreducible: as a quadratic in $y$, it could factor only if $x(x-1{)}^2$ were a square polynomial, which it is not. Thus $S$ is an irreducible affine hypersurface of dimension two. Its function field isso $S$ is birational to ${\mathbb{A}}^2$.

The partial derivatives areSolving $F=F_x=F_y=0$ gives $x=1$, $y=0$, with $z$ arbitrary. By the Jacobian criterion,This is an irreducible subvariety of dimension one, giving the requested singular cylinder over a nodal curve.