Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 13 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Order the index set of the open cover . The Čech cochain groups areand their differential is the alternating sum of restrictions:Terms obtained by deleting two indices cancel in pairs, so . The Čech cohomology is , with zero incoming differential in degree zero. Its zeroth group is the group of global sections by sheaf gluing.
The acyclic cover theorem applies if every nonempty finite intersection is acyclic for . For a quasi-coherent sheaf on a variety it is sufficient that every such intersection is affine; on a separated variety, any affine open cover has this property. On , take the standard charts . Every intersection is a principal open in an affine chart, hence affine. The Čech complex has no terms above degree , provingThis is the cohomological dimension bound from an affine cover and requires only quasi-coherence, not finite generation.
For the remaining projective calculations assume . There is a necessary zero-dimensional exception to the negative-twist assertion: is a point, every twist is trivial there, and even for .
Put with its usual grading. The twisting sheaf on projective space is the sheaf associated with the shifted graded module ; on an intersection its sections areOn a generator is , with transition . These are regular units on overlaps and satisfy the cocycle relation, so they glue an invertible sheaf for every integer , including negative .
A global section is a compatible family of these homogeneous fractions, hence a single element of degree in . For , and are relatively prime in the unique factorization domain , so ; therefore the full intersection is . It follows thatFor its dimension is . The proof uses all-chart compatibility; regularity on one chart alone would permit poles on its complement.
If some , the ideal contains , so the requested containment is immediate. Otherwise every . A monomial of degree must have for some : if not, its total degree would be at most . Thus every degree- monomial, and hence every homogeneous polynomial of that degree, belongs to . This is monomial containment in an ideal of coordinate powers.
For , a top-degree Čech cochain for is a degree-zero Laurent polynomial on the full intersection. Write it with a common denominator asThe containment just proved gives , with homogeneous of degree . ConsequentlyThe th term is regular on the intersection omitting , and has degree zero. Give it the sign in that component of the preceding Čech cochain. Its coboundary is the original fraction. Every top cochain is thus a coboundary, andThis is top Čech cohomology from missing-denominator monomials.
To obtain the negative-twist bound by induction on dimension, let be a hyperplane, with inclusion . Its equation gives the hyperplane exact sequence for twisting sheavesThe associated long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology and sheaf cohomology under a closed inclusion giveFor , restriction is the surjection . Exactness and the already proved give . The displayed surjections then give the same vanishing for every . This handles the point hyperplane without making a false negative-twist claim on .
For , the induction hypothesis in dimension gives whenever . Therefore consecutive top-degree groups are isomorphic for . Starting with and stepping down through reaches . Stepping upward proves all positive twists too. We concludeThis is top-twist vanishing by hyperplane induction.
Finally, on write and . On , let be the wedge of for , taken in increasing index order. For , differentiating and givesIn the wedge, all terms involving a second copy of disappear; the surviving powers are from and from the other differentials. Moving into its original position produces the stated sign. Rescale each local generator by . Then on every overlap, exactly the transition of the twist with . This canonical-form transition on projective space proves the canonical bundle of projective space:For line bundles the Serre duality pairing becomesIn particular is dual to , which is zero for , precisely the independently obtained bound. The case recovers , and matches . Thus the calculated transition functions, global sections and top-degree vanishing agree with Serre duality.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 16 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
For , the Čech cochain complex has groupsTerms in cancel in pairs, and Čech cohomology is . A degree-zero cocycle is exactly a family of compatible local sections. The sheaf gluing axiom gives their unique global section, proving . If the cover has affine finite intersections, a quasi-coherent sheaf has no higher cohomology on those intersections by vanishing of quasi-coherent cohomology on an affine scheme. The acyclic cover theorem then identifies all Čech groups with sheaf cohomology. In particular, a finite affine open cover of a separated variety has this property.
For the sheaf of units of the structure sheaf, a multiplicative degree-one cocycle is a family satisfying , with . It glues trivial rank-one free modules into an invertible sheaf. Changing the local frames multiplies by a coboundary, and two sets of transition data give isomorphic line bundles precisely when their cocycles differ this way. Tensoring line bundles multiplies their cocycles. Thus line bundles trivialized by an open cover give the group isomorphismFor the remaining arguments, work over the algebraically closed ground field. On the irreducible variety , put , a quotient of sheaves of abelian groups. A global section of is locally represented by rational functions whose ratios are regular units. The corresponding unit cocycle defines an invertible sheaf. A single global rational function has trivial cocycle. Conversely, every line bundle has a nonzero rational section: choose a nonzero vector in its one-dimensional fibre at the generic point and express it in local frames. This supplies such local . If the associated line bundle is trivial, changing frames makes all restrictions of one rational function. Thereforeis exact. This is the Cartier-divisor description of the Picard group. The sheaf of nonzero rational functions on an irreducible variety is flasque, since all restrictions between nonempty open sets are the identity on . Apply the long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology to . Since , its connecting map has exactly the cokernel just computed, provingFinally the Segre description of a smooth quadric surface identifies with . The two rulings of a smooth quadric surface have classes generating . For completeness, remove one line in each ruling: the remaining chart is the affine plane, with factorial coordinate ring and trivial divisor class group. The localization sequence for the divisor class group makes generators, and their degrees on the two ruling lines prove independence. The hyperplane class, and hence the conic , has bidegree . By Picard-group localization on a smooth variety, the Picard group of a smooth affine quadric surface isExplicitly, the restriction of is nontrivial: if it were trivial on , its rational trivialization would have divisor supported on , forcing to be an integer multiple of , which is impossible.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 16 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
On an affine chart , the module of Kähler differentials is generated by symbols subject to -linearity and . It represents -derivations. These modules commute with localization, so their associated quasi-coherent sheaves glue to the Kähler differential sheaf . It is coherent: if and , then it has the finite presentation of a moduleFor a closed point , put with maximal ideal and residue field . The Zariski tangent space is , equivalently . A derivation kills constants and , so it factors through ; conversely every linear functional on defines such a derivation by the product rule. The universal property of Kähler differentials therefore identifies this space withIn particular, , the algebraic cotangent space.
A point is a smooth point of a variety when its local ring is a regular local ring; over this algebraically closed field this says . Tensor the finite presentation of a module above with . The tangent space is the kernel of the Jacobian matrix , hence has dimension . This proves the Jacobian criterionFor a smooth irreducible variety , choose at each point an invertible -minor and shrink the affine chart so that it remains invertible. Its relations eliminate of the generators of , yielding a surjection . At the generic point, its target has dimension : over a perfect ground field, a separating transcendence basis of the function field has differentials forming a basis. Equivalently this follows from the assumed density of the smooth locus. The kernel therefore becomes zero over the fraction field of the integral domain . As a submodule of , it is a torsion-free module, so it is already zero. Thus these maps give local isomorphisms with , proving local freeness of differentials on a smooth variety with rank .
For an affine chart , write and . The restriction of a module sheaf to a closed subvariety is . The Conormal exact sequence for Kähler differentials isIt follows from the generators and relations: passing to imposes precisely the additional relations for . The first map is well defined because lies in . Glue these exact module sequences, using exactness of localization, to obtainIn the final assertion, interpret locally principal subvariety as a proper local hypersurface. Its ideal on each chart is with . Since is an irreducible variety and reduced, is a non-zero-divisor, and , , is an isomorphism. These local rank-one descriptions make the conormal sheaf invertible.
Because is not contained in the singular locus of , there is a dense open subset of where both and are smooth varieties. At a closed point there, by the Krull principal ideal theorem. The tangent description then forces . Hence the conormal map is injective at the generic point of . Its kernel is a subsheaf of a line bundle on the integral variety , so it is a torsion-free sheaf; a torsion-free sheaf with zero generic fibre is zero. This proves conormal injectivity for a generically smooth Cartier divisor. If zero equations were allowed in the phrase locally principal, would be a counterexample to invertibility; the proper-hypersurface convention is essential.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 113 4 ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Write , where , and , with on the overlap. Since is a quasi-coherent sheaf, it is associated to a -module on . The preimages under the open inclusion of are , all affine schemes. Thus is an affine morphism and its direct image sheaf is quasi-coherent by direct image of a quasi-coherent sheaf under an affine morphism.
The two-chart cover is an acyclic cover by vanishing of quasi-coherent cohomology on an affine scheme, so the acyclic cover theorem identifies its Čech cohomology with sheaf cohomology. Its only potentially nontrivial positive-degree differential isThis is surjective because of the second summand. There are no normalized Čech terms in degree two or higher for a two-open cover, soThis is the acyclic direct image from an affine chart of the projective line. The pushforward need not itself be a flasque sheaf; the acyclic affine cover is what justifies this computation.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 113 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
The tensor product of sheaves is the sheafification of the presheafwith restriction maps induced by those of , , and the structure sheaf of a scheme. Sending the germ of to gives a canonical mapIt is surjective because a finite sum of tensors of germs has representatives on one common neighborhood. It is injective because an equality in a tensor product of modules is witnessed by finitely many additive and balancing relations; all their germs, including the scalars in , can be represented and their equalities made valid on a common smaller neighborhood. Equivalently, a filtered colimit of modules commutes with these tensor products. Since sheafification preserves the stalk of a sheaf, this proves the asserted isomorphism.
For the pullback of a sheaf of modules, first form the inverse image sheaf : sheafify . The morphism of sheaves of rings then definesExactness of a sequence of sheaf of modules morphisms is checked on every stalk of a sheaf. Applying the right exactness of the tensor product of modules to the stalk sequence over gives the exact stalk sequence of the pullbacks. Thus preserves sequences ending in zero, as required.
A quasi-coherent sheaf is a sheaf of modules locally of the form for a module over the coordinate ring of an affine neighborhood. On an affine variety with ring , this associated sheaf is characterized on principal opens by , using localization of a module. Suppose and is affine, with ring . The induced algebra map gives a canonical mapAt a point , both sides identify with : on the right use and associativity of the tensor product of modules. The map is therefore an isomorphism on every stalk of a sheaf, hence an isomorphism of sheaves. Such cover , proving that the pullback is a quasi-coherent sheaf.
Finally, on an affine open with ring , the presheaf defining has, on , the valueConsequently , so is a quasi-coherent sheaf. The algebra map for is the composite . Restriction of functions and the tensor-product construction give a canonical sheaf morphism . At , it is the associativity isomorphismIt is therefore a sheaf of modules isomorphism. In particular,
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 113 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
The resolution principle for sheaf cohomology states that an exact sequencewith for every computes as the cohomology of . In particular one may use a flasque resolution.
An affine morphism is one for which the inverse image of every affine open subset of is affine. We use vanishing of quasi-coherent cohomology on an affine scheme: a quasi-coherent sheaf has zero higher sheaf cohomology on an affine variety. Take a flasque resolution . Each direct image sheaf is flasque, because restriction on is restriction on . On an affine open , the augmented complex of sections isIts positive-degree cohomology vanishes by the affine theorem, and its degree-zero kernel is . Checking exactness on this affine basis shows that is a flasque resolution of . The global-section complexes are identical, proving cohomology under an affine morphism:
For projective space, put with its usual grading and . Construct the twisting sheaf on projective space by setting its sections on to be the degree- part , viewed as a module over . It is free of rank one with generator , even when is negative. On overlaps the generators differ by the unit , so these modules glue to a line bundle .
Assume first . These local modules all embed in the graded fraction field, and agreement on overlaps identifies global sections with . Since is a unique factorization domain and at least two distinct variables occur, a reduced fraction belonging to every has no nonconstant denominator. Thus the intersection is . Counting monomials by stars and bars givesHere . The printed formula needs the convention that a counting binomial coefficient is zero when its upper integer is smaller than its nonnegative lower integer; the generalized polynomial convention for negative upper integers would give incorrect dimensions. For , every twist on the single point is trivial, so for every and its higher cohomology is zero. This case supplies the base of dimension induction; the displayed top-cohomology formula below is for .
The standard affine opens have affine finite intersections. The acyclic cover theorem and affine vanishing identify sheaf cohomology with a Čech cochain complex ending in degree . In particular for .
Let , with inclusion . Multiplication by gives the hyperplane exact sequence for twisting sheavesExactness is checked in the local trivializations, where a hyperplane equation is a non-zero-divisor and the quotient is its restriction to . Since a closed immersion is an affine morphism, the first part identifies the cohomology of with that on .
For , the long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology and giveStarting from the given vanishing for sufficiently large and descending gives for and for .
Now let , and assume the formulas in dimension . Restrictionis surjective for every : for it is polynomial restriction, and for both groups are zero since . The long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology therefore makes injective. For , dimension induction gives , so the same sequence makesinjective. Composing these injections up to a sufficiently large twist, where the target is zero by the given hypothesis, proves for every and .
The remaining part of the long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology is consequentlywhere the last zero uses the affine-cover dimension bound on . Hence . Using dimension induction and eventual vanishing, downward summation yieldsby telescoping Pascal's identity; for it is zero. Thus, without invoking Serre duality in the induction,Finally, the canonical bundle of projective space is , obtained by taking determinants in the dual Euler sequence. Serre duality therefore predictsIt pairs the two computed extreme-degree dimensions and pairs zero intermediate groups with zero intermediate groups, exactly as required.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 iii Paper 113 3 a Solution Created 2026-09-28 Updated 2026-10-03
The direct image sheaf is determined on the basis consisting of principal open subschemes . Their inverse images areand henceOn the other hand, localization of the restricted-scalar -module givesThese isomorphisms commute with restriction to smaller principal opens, so they define the equality of quasi-coherent sheaves
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 iii Paper 113 3 b Solution 2026-09-28
Because is a Noetherian scheme, choose a finite affine cover . Every intersection is quasi-compact, so choose a finite affine cover . If and are the inclusions, the sheaf axiom gives an exact sequencewhere the last arrow is the difference of the two restrictions to each overlap chart.
Applying the left-exact direct image sheaf functor identifies with the kernel ofEvery map and is a morphism between affine schemes. Part (a) shows that all sheaves in the two finite sums are quasi-coherent sheaves. Kernels of morphisms of quasi-coherent sheaves on the affine scheme are quasi-coherent, because they correspond to kernels of module homomorphisms. Therefore is quasi-coherent. This is the quasi-coherence of direct image under a quasi-compact quasi-separated morphism in the present Noetherian case.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 iii Paper 113 3 a Solution 2026-09-28
An -module is a quasi-coherent sheaf when every affine open has for some -module . For a morphism , its direct image sheaf iswhile the pullback of a sheaf of modules is
If is a closed immersion of Noetherian schemes, then on an affine open one has . The restriction of corresponds to the cyclic -module , so it is finitely generated. Hence is a coherent sheaf; more generally this is the direct image of a coherent sheaf under a closed immersion.
Coherence need not survive an arbitrary pushforward. Letbe the open immersion. The sheaf is coherent, butis not a finitely generated -module. Therefore is not coherent.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 iii Paper 113 3 b Solution Created 2026-09-28 Updated 2026-10-03
Choose a finite affine cover of the Noetherian scheme . Because is separated, every finite intersection is affine. Its inverse image under the closed immersion is also affine. By the definition of the direct image sheaf,The Čech complexes for on and for on the induced cover are therefore identical, including their restriction maps. Both affine covers are acyclic for the relevant quasi-coherent sheaves, so the acyclic cover theorem givesfor every . This is cohomology under a closed immersion.
For , use its standard affine opens. The induced cover of is still acyclic, and its Čech complex has no cochains in degrees greater than . The cohomological dimension bound from an affine cover therefore yields
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 113 3 a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 126 2 i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
For an affine morphism and a quasi-coherent sheaf , every inverse image of an affine open is affine. Higher cohomology of a quasi-coherent sheaf on an affine scheme vanishes, soThe Leray spectral sequence therefore has only its zeroth row, and its edge maps give
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 iii Paper 113 1 d Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Let and . A global section of is a regular function on the integral scheme whose support is closed in and contained in . Every nonzero regular function on has support dense in , soIf this sheaf were quasi-coherent, then on the affine scheme it would be the sheaf associated with this zero module and hence would vanish. Its stalks at points of are instead by part a. This contradiction proves that extension by zero need not preserve quasi-coherence.
If is quasi-compact and quasi-separated, then the direct image of every quasi-coherent sheaf on is again a quasi-coherent sheaf. A finite affine cover of each inverse image of an affine target chart expresses the direct image as the kernel of a morphism between finite sums of quasi-coherent direct images from affine charts.
Separated variety 2026-10-06
An algebraic variety that is separated over its ground field. Two affine open charts have an affine intersection: their intersection is the inverse image of the closed diagonal inside the product of the two affine charts. This ensures a finite affine cover is acyclic for quasi-coherent sheaves.
Sheaf associated with a graded module 2026-10-06
A graded module over a graded ring determines a quasi-coherent sheaf on the Proj construction by taking the degree-zero part of its localization on each standard affine open of Proj. Localization identifies these module sheaves on overlaps. The construction is exact, by exactness of localization and exactness of taking a fixed graded component.
Sheaf of Kähler differentials over a field Created 2026-10-06 Updated 2026-10-14
For a variety over , the module of Kähler differentials on each affine chart gives a quasi-coherent sheaf. Compatibility with localization glues these into . A finite presentation of an algebra gives a finite presentation of a module for its differentials, so this is a coherent sheaf on a variety.
Torsion-free sheaf 2026-10-06
On an integral scheme, a quasi-coherent sheaf is torsion-free when its module on every affine chart is a torsion-free module over that chart's integral domain. It embeds into its generic fibre. Therefore a torsion-free sheaf with zero generic fibre is zero; locally free sheaves and their subsheaves are torsion-free.