The generality of a section of a curve

Abstract

Let f: C --> P^3 be a general curve of genus g, mapped to P^3 via a general linear series of degree d; and let Q be a general (and thus smooth) quadric. In this paper, we show that the points of intersection f(C) \cap Q give a general collection of 2d points on Q, except for exactly six exceptional cases. We also prove similar theorems for every other pair (r, n) for which, except for only finitely many pairs (d, g), the intersection of a general curve of genus g mapped to P^r via a general linear series of degree d, with a general hypersurface S of degree n, is a general collection of dn points on S. As explained in arXiv:1809.05980, these results play a key role in the author's proof of the Maximal Rank Conjecture