First make a toric fan simplicial by compatible rational subdivisions. In a nonregular simplicial cone, choose a nonregular face minimal under inclusion. Its half-open fundamental parallelepiped contains a nonzero point of the toric lattice , with every : a zero coefficient would put it in a regular proper face and force all coefficients to be integers. A star subdivision at the primitive point on this ray replaces a generator by and multiplies the affected lattice determinant by a number strictly between zero and one. The maximum multiplicity and the number of maximal cones realizing it decrease lexicographically, giving a finite toric resolution of singularities.
Insert the ray generated by between and . Sincethe subdivided fan is smooth and gives a toric resolution of singularities. The unique exceptional divisor is . Asthe self-intersection formula for a toric surface divisor gives .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 152 1 d ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
The primitive ray generators of areand . They do not form a lattice basis, so the smoothness criterion for a toric variety shows that is singular. The presentation from part (i) gives the same conclusion by the Jacobian criterion: all derivatives of vanish at .
Insert the primitive raysLet consist of the conesand all their faces. Sinceevery cone of is smooth. Its support is , so this fan subdivision induces a proper birational toric morphismThe source is smooth, and is an isomorphism over the dense algebraic torus; it is therefore a toric resolution of singularities.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2026 iii Paper 152 1 b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Insert the primitive rayinside the singular cone. The corresponding star subdivision replaces by and . Both new determinants have absolute value one, as do the two unchanged cones, so the subdivided fan is smooth. The induced proper birational toric morphism is therefore a toric resolution of singularities. Its exceptional invariant curve has self-intersection , and is the Hirzebruch surface .