Selected Topics In Algebraic Geometry

This book resulted from two reports (published in 1928 and 1932) of the Committee on Rational Transformations, established by the National Research Council. The purpose of the reports was to give a comprehensive survey of the literature on the subject. Each chapter is regarded as a separate unit that can be read independently.

This is a graduate-level text on algebraic geometry that provides a quick and fully self-contained development of the fundamentals, including all commutative algebra which is used. A taste of the deeper theory is given: some topics, such as local algebra and ramification theory, are treated in depth. The book culminates with a selection of topics from the theory of algebraic curves, including the Riemann-Roch theorem, elliptic curves, the zeta function of a curve over a finite field, and the Riemann hypothesis for elliptic curves.

This book offers a wide-ranging introduction to algebraic geometry along classical lines. It consists of lectures on topics in classical algebraic geometry, including the basic properties of projective algebraic varieties, linear systems of hypersurfaces, algebraic curves (with special emphasis on rational curves), linear series on algebraic curves, Cremona transformations, rational surfaces, and notable examples of special varieties like the Segre, Grassmann, and Veronese varieties. An integral part and special feature of the presentation is the inclusion of many exercises, not easy to find in the literature and almost all with complete solutions. The text is aimed at students in the last two years of an undergraduate program in mathematics. It contains some rather advanced topics suitable for specialized courses at the advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate level, as well as interesting topics for a senior thesis. The prerequisites have been deliberately limited to basic elements of projective geometry and abstract algebra. Thus, for example, some knowledge of the geometry of subspaces and properties of fields is assumed. The book will be welcomed by teachers and students of algebraic geometry who are seeking a clear and panoramic path leading from the basic facts about linear subspaces, conics and quadrics to a systematic discussion of classical algebraic varieties and the tools needed to study them. The text provides a solid foundation for approaching more advanced and abstract literature.

Examines in detail those topics in convex geometry that are concerned with Euclidean space Enriched by numerous examples, illustrations, and exercises, with a good bibliography and index Requires only a basic knowledge of geometry, linear algebra, analysis, topology, and measure theory Can be used for graduates courses or seminars in convex geometry, geometric and convex combinatorics, and convex analysis and optimization