Paper 2, Section II, I

Algebraic Geometry
Part II, 2017

Let kk be an algebraically closed field of any characteristic.

(a) Define what it means for a variety XX to be non-singular at a point PXP \in X.

(b) Let XPnX \subseteq \mathbb{P}^{n} be a hypersurface Z(f)Z(f) for fk[x0,,xn]f \in k\left[x_{0}, \ldots, x_{n}\right] an irreducible homogeneous polynomial. Show that the set of singular points of XX is Z(I)Z(I), where II \subseteq k[x0,,xn]k\left[x_{0}, \ldots, x_{n}\right] is the ideal generated by f/x0,,f/xn.\partial f / \partial x_{0}, \ldots, \partial f / \partial x_{n} .

(c) Consider the projective plane curve corresponding to the affine curve in A2\mathbb{A}^{2} given by the equation

x4+x2y2+y2+1=0.x^{4}+x^{2} y^{2}+y^{2}+1=0 .

Find the singular points of this projective curve if char k2k \neq 2. What goes wrong if char k=2k=2 ?