Suppose that $S_1$ and $S_2$ are the vanishing sets of a system of polynomial equations in n variables over a field $\mathbb{k}$ (ideal in $\mathbb{k}[X_1,\dots,X_n]$) and a system of polynomial equations in m variables over a field $\mathbb{k}$ (ideal in $\mathbb{k}[Y_1,\dots,Y_m]$). We can give $S_1$ and $S_2$ the Zariski topology by letting all algebraic subsets of $S_1$ and $S_2$ to be closed.
Surely, if $Y_j\circ f\colon S_1\to\mathbb{k}$ is a polynomial in $\mathbb{k}[X_1,\dots,X_n]/I(S_1)$, for every $j$, then $f$ is continuous in the Zariski topology.
The condition that $Y_j\circ f$ be polynomial, however, seems too strict: as long as the vanishing set of $Y_j\circ f$ were equal to the vanishing set of a polynomial function, $f$ would be continuous, which means that the usual morphisms from $S_1$ to $S_2$ are not the same as the continuous maps between them as (Zariski-)topological spaces.
My question then is of two parts.
- Is it true that there exist Zarsiki-continuous maps that are not polynomial?
- If yes, then what is the geometric way of thinking about the extra structure that polynomial maps preserve, i.e. continuous maps squash subsets of $S_1$ in such a way that non-algebraic subsets never get squashed into algebraic ones, but some algebraic ones may get squashed into non-algebraic ones, but polynomials also give what features to the geometric squashing?