An elementary proof of existence of Whitney's stratification
by
Vadim Kaloshin
Princeton University

Stratification of a singular set (e.g. algebraic variety) is a partition of it into smooth parts so that these parts fit together "regularly". Existence of stratification for algebraic and analytic sets is a classical theorem of Whitney. During the talk we present a complete elementary proof of existence of Whitney's stratification, based on interpretation of a set where regularity of stratification fails as a critical set of a certain map. Then by Sard's lemma we can complete the proof.

Date received: March 4, 2000