18.782
Introduction to Arithmetic Geometry
Exposes students to arithmetic geometry, motivated by the problem of finding rational points on curves. Includes an introduction to p-adic numbers and some fundamental results from number theory and algebraic geometry, such as the Hasse-Minkowski theorem and the Riemann-Roch theorem for curves. Additional topics may include Mordell's theorem, the Weil conjectures, and Jacobian varieties.
Fall 2013
Topics
- Introduction to Arithmetic Geometry
- Rational Points on Conics
- Finite Fields
- The Ring of p -adic Integers
- The Field of p -adic Numbers, Absolute Values, Ostrowski’s Theorem for Q
- Ostrowski’s Theorem for Number Fields
- Product Formula for Number Fields, Completions
- Hensel’s Lemma
- Quadratic Forms
- Hilbert Symbols
- Weak and Strong Approximation, Hasse-Minkowski Theorem for Q
- Field Extensions, Algebraic Sets
- Affine and Projective Varieties
- Zariski Topology, Morphisms of Affine Varieties and Affine Algebras
- Rational Maps and Function Fields
- Products of Varieties and Chevalley’s criterion for Completeness
- Tangent Spaces, Singular Points, Hypersurfaces
- Smooth Projective Curves
- Divisors, The Picard Group
- Degree Theorem for Morphisms of Curves
- Riemann-Roch Spaces
- Proof of the Riemann-Roch Theorem for Curves
- Elliptic Curves and Abelian Varieties
- Isogenies and Torsion Points, The Nagell-Lutz Theorem
- The Mordell-Weil Theorem
- Jacobians of Genus One Curves, The Weil-Chatelet and Tate-Shafarevich Groups
Readings
- Serre, Jean-Pierre. A Course in Arithmetic . Springer-Verlag, 1996. ISBN: 9783540900405.
- Shafarevich, I. R. (translated by Miles Reid). Basic Algebraic Geometry I . 3rd ed. Springer-Verlag, 2013. ISBN: 9783642379550.
- Artin, M. Algebra . 2nd ed. Pearson Education, 2010. ISBN: 9780132413770.
- Bump, D. Algebraic Geometry. World Scientific Publishing Company, 1998. ISBN: 9789810235611.
- Shafarevich, I. R., and Miles Reid. Basic Algebraic Geometry I . 3rd ed. Springer-Verlag, 2013. ISBN: 9783642379550.
- van der Waerdan, B. L. Algebra Volume I . 7th ed. Springer, 1990. ISBN: 9780387974248.
- SES #: 18 · TOPICS: Smooth Projective Curves · READINGS: Serre, J. P. Local Fields . Springer, 1979. ISBN: 9781475756753.
- Serre, J. P. Lectures on the Mordell-Weil Theorem . 3rd ed. Teubner Verlag, 1997. ISBN: 9783663106340.
Prerequisites & course information
Prereq: 18.702 Acad Year 2027-2028: U (Spring) Acad Year 2028-2029: Not offered 3-0-9 units
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Fall 2013
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- MIT OCW calendar ↗
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.