Equimultiplicity, algebraic elimination, and blowing-up.

Given a variety X over a perfect field, we study the partition defined on X by the multiplicity (into equimultiple points), and the effect of blowing up at smooth equimultiple centers. Over fields of characteristic zero we prove resolution of singularities by using the multiplicity as an invariant, instead of the Hilbert Samuel function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]