3.II.12H

Geometry
Part IB, 2006

Describe the stereographic projection map from the sphere S2S^{2} to the extended complex plane C\mathbf{C}_{\infty}, positioned equatorially. Prove that w,zCw, z \in \mathbf{C}_{\infty} correspond to antipodal points on S2S^{2} if and only if w=1/zˉw=-1 / \bar{z}. State, without proof, a result which relates the rotations of S2S^{2} to a certain group of Möbius transformations on C\mathbf{C}_{\infty}.

Show that any circle in the complex plane corresponds, under stereographic projection, to a circle on S2S^{2}. Let CC denote any circle in the complex plane other than the unit circle; show that CC corresponds to a great circle on S2S^{2} if and only if its intersection with the unit circle consists of two points, one of which is the negative of the other.

[You may assume the result that a Möbius transformation on the complex plane sends circles and straight lines to circles and straight lines.]