Lower bounds on projective levels of complexes

For an associative ring $R$, the projective level of a complex $F$ is the smallest number of mapping cones needed to build $F$ from projective $R$-modules. We establish lower bounds for the projective level of $F$ in terms of the vanishing of homology of $F$. We then use these bounds to derive a new version of The New Intersection Theorem for level when $R$ is a commutative Noetherian local ring.