Ana Bravo
On the multiplicity of embedded hypersurfaces


Let X be a hypersurface embedded in a smooth scheme W over field K. Then the multiplicity of the hypersurface defines an upper-semi-continuous function along the points of X, and hence the set of points of maximal multiplicity of X is a closed set. This closed set can be described by means of the so-called Tschirnhausen transformation, or by using Hironaka's notion of maximal contact, whenever K is a field of characteristic zero. We will present an alternative way of describing this closed set.