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A subset $X\subset M^m$ is a $d$-dimensional embedded submanifold if, with the subspace topology, every point has a smooth ambient chart in which $X$ is the intersection of the coordinate domain with ${\mathbb{R}}^d\times \{0\}$. These slice charts give its smooth structure, and its inclusion is an embedding.

The inverse function theorem says that a smooth map $F:U\subset {\mathbb{R}}^m\to {\mathbb{R}}^m$ with invertible derivative at $a$ restricts to a diffeomorphism between open neighborhoods of $a$ and $F(a)$. A point $q\in N$ is a regular value of a smooth map $f:M^m\to N^n$ when $d{f}_x:T_{x}M\to T_{q}N$ is surjective at every $x\in f^{-1}(q)$.

Choose local coordinates centered at $x$ and $q$. At a fiber point, rank $n$ means that, after relabeling coordinates, the first $n$ columns of the coordinate derivative form an invertible matrix. DefineIts derivative is block upper triangular with that invertible block and an identity block, hence invertible. The inverse function theorem makes $F$ a new ambient coordinate chart in which $f^{-1}(q)$ is exactly $v_1=\cdots =v_n=0$. Therefore the regular level set theorem giveswhen the fiber is nonempty. An empty fiber is regular vacuously; if $m<n$, it is the only possible regular fiber. The construction does not assign a negative dimension to a nonempty manifold.

For the projective hyperplane, the mapis injective with inverse $[x_0:x_1:0]\mapsto [x_0:x_1]$ on its image. At every image point, either $x_0$ or $x_1$ is nonzero; the corresponding standard projective chart uses $x_2/x_i$ as one coordinate and cuts the image out by setting it to zero. The map and inverse are smooth in these charts, and the slice condition provesNevertheless, ${\mathbb{RP}}^2\setminus X$ is the single affine chart $x_2\ne 0$, diffeomorphic to ${\mathbb{R}}^2$, so it is connected. If a smooth real function had exactly this zero set with zero regular, the inverse function theorem near any point of $X$ would give both positive and negative values off $X$. On the connected complement it never vanishes, so continuity requires its sign to be constant. This contradiction is the obstruction that regular zero hypersurfaces have disconnected complements. ThusIt illustrates why local defining equations for an embedded hypersurface need not glue to a global real defining function, as in real projective hyperplane is not a global regular zero set.