Introduction to Algebraic Geometry

In this chapter some of the basic concepts of algebraic geometry needed for algebraic geometric codes will be presented. Since the theory of algebraic geometry is both vast and deep, we can only give a rough outline here. Emphasis will be placed on making the ideas intuitive and clear enough to enable the reader to understAnd the algebraic geometric codes. The majority of this chapter is based on the treatment of Fulton [2]. For a more complete treatment of algebraic geometry the reader should consult that reference, or the recent book by Moreno [4]. Some other stAndard textbooks in algebraic geometry are [1, 3, 7, 9].