Because is algebraically closed, the smooth quadric surface has a -point . Choose a plane not containing and project from :
For a general point , the line meets the degree-two surface in and exactly one further point. Sending to that second intersection is a rational map inverse to on dense open subsets. Therefore
Over an algebraically closed field of characteristic different from two, a projective change of coordinates puts every smooth quadric surface in the form
The Segre embedding identifies this surface with by
Two distinct fibres of either coordinate projection are disjoint lines in one of the rulings of a smooth quadric surface. Explicitly,
both lie on and have no common projective point. Thus contains a pair of disjoint lines.
For an algebraically closed field , the strong Hilbert Nullstellensatz says that every ideal satisfies
Its weak form says that exactly when . Now let and let be a homogeneous ideal. The affine zero set of is the affine cone over together with the origin. Hence, when the projective zero set is empty, either
or the affine zero set is exactly the origin. In the latter case the Hilbert Nullstellensatz gives
the irrelevant ideal of projective space. Equivalently, some power is contained in . These are precisely the alternatives in the Projective Nullstellensatz.
Let be a smooth quadric surface. After a projective linear transformation, the Segre embedding identifies
Choose distinct points . The two fibres
are the promised disjoint curves on a smooth quadric surface: each is a smooth projective line, and . By the Bézout theorem, any two nonempty curves in the projective plane intersect. An isomorphism of algebraic varieties preserves intersections and takes projective curves to projective curves, so these disjoint curves prove
Next let be a smooth projective curve and let be a rational map to a projective variety. At a point outside its initial domain, write
using elements of the function field . The local ring of a smooth algebraic curve at is a discrete valuation ring. If , multiplying every coordinate by a function of valuation makes all coordinates regular at and at least one a unit there. They therefore define a morphism near . Repeating this at the finitely many missing points proves the extension of a rational map from a smooth projective curve.
Smoothness is essential. Let be the normalization of a nodal curve for a rational nodal cubic . The inverse is a rational map on the smooth locus. If it extended to a morphism , then would agree with the identity on a dense Zariski-open subset of and hence everywhere. But the two distinct points above the node would satisfy
a contradiction. This is the failure of rational-map extension on a singular curve.
Finally take the Fermat cubic curve
and define the projective hypersurface
Because and have no common irreducible factor, the bihomogeneous polynomial is irreducible, so is an algebraic variety. Let
be the second coordinate projection. Every homogeneous cubic in three variables has a projective zero over , so every fibre is nonempty and is a surjective morphism. Over the fibre is the Fermat cubic curve, which is smooth and has genus
Over the fibre is
the union of exactly three distinct projective lines, hence exactly three irreducible components. This is the cubic pencil with a triangular member required by the question.
Over an algebraically closed field, remove a smooth hyperplane conic from a smooth quadric surface . The rulings of a smooth quadric surface generate , and has class . Picard-group localization on a smooth variety gives the quotient by . The restricted ruling bundle is a generator, exhibiting a nontrivial line bundle on an affine surface.
Rulings of a smooth quadric surface Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Under , the fibres of the two coordinate projections are the two rulings of the smooth quadric surface. Two distinct fibres in one ruling are disjoint projective lines, while one fibre from each ruling meets in one point.
Smooth quadric surface Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Over an algebraically closed field of characteristic other than two, every smooth quadric surface in becomes
after a projective linear transformation. The Segre embedding identifies it with .