Lecture 3, Theorem 3.1: an algebraic variety X over an algebraically closed field k is
affine iff X ≅ Spec A for A = Γ(X, O_X), and conversely Spec A is a variety whenever A is
a reduced finitely generated k-algebra.
Lecture 3, Theorem 3.2 (Noether normalization): any finitely generated k-algebra A admits
an injective finite k-algebra map from a polynomial ring k[x_1, …, x_d].
Lecture 3, Lemma 3 (linear change of variables): over an infinite field, any nonconstant
polynomial in n + 1 variables can be transformed by an algebra automorphism so that, viewed as a
polynomial in x_0 over k[x_1, …, x_n], its leading coefficient is a unit.
Companion to Lemma 3: over an infinite field, any nonzero polynomial in finitely many variables takes a nonzero value at some point.
Lecture 3, Proposition 2 (Hilbert basis theorem): polynomial rings in finitely many variables over a field are Noetherian.
Lecture 3, Lemma 4 (determinant form of Nakayama's lemma): if I is an ideal of R and M
is a finitely generated R-module with IM = M, then some a ∈ R with a ≡ 1 mod I annihilates
all of M.
Lecture 3, Theorem 3.3 (essential Nullstellensatz): any field that is a finitely generated
algebra over a field k is algebraic over k.
Lecture 3, Definition 7: a topological space is irreducible iff the whole space, viewed as a subset, is irreducible.
Equivalent form of Definition 7: an irreducible space cannot be written as a union of two proper closed subsets.
Lecture 3, Proposition 3: for a reduced ring A, the prime spectrum Spec A is irreducible
iff A is a domain.
Lecture 3, Definition 8: a subset is an irreducible component iff it is irreducible and maximal among irreducible subsets.
Companion to Definition 8: every irreducible component is closed.
Lecture 3, Proposition 4: a Noetherian topological space has finitely many irreducible components, whose union is the whole space.
Lecture 3, Corollary 5 (form 1): the zero locus of a radical ideal I ⊆ A is irreducible iff
I is prime.
Corollary 5 (form 2): the vanishing-ideal map gives a bijection between closed irreducible
subsets of Spec A and prime ideals of A.
Corollary 5 (form 3): under this bijection, irreducible components of Spec A correspond to
minimal primes of A when A is Noetherian.
Lecture 3, Corollary 6: in a reduced ring, the intersection of the minimal primes is zero.