Paper 3, Section II, F

Geometry
Part IB, 2016

(a) Define the cross-ratio [z1,z2,z3,z4]\left[z_{1}, z_{2}, z_{3}, z_{4}\right] of four distinct points z1,z2,z3,z4C{}z_{1}, z_{2}, z_{3}, z_{4} \in \mathbb{C} \cup\{\infty\}. Show that the cross-ratio is invariant under Möbius transformations. Express [z2,z1,z3,z4]\left[z_{2}, z_{1}, z_{3}, z_{4}\right] in terms of [z1,z2,z3,z4]\left[z_{1}, z_{2}, z_{3}, z_{4}\right].

(b) Show that [z1,z2,z3,z4]\left[z_{1}, z_{2}, z_{3}, z_{4}\right] is real if and only if z1,z2,z3,z4z_{1}, z_{2}, z_{3}, z_{4} lie on a line or circle in C{}\mathbb{C} \cup\{\infty\}.

(c) Let z1,z2,z3,z4z_{1}, z_{2}, z_{3}, z_{4} lie on a circle in C\mathbb{C}, given in anti-clockwise order as depicted.

Show that [z1,z2,z3,z4]\left[z_{1}, z_{2}, z_{3}, z_{4}\right] is a negative real number, and that [z2,z1,z3,z4]\left[z_{2}, z_{1}, z_{3}, z_{4}\right] is a positive real number greater than 1 . Show that [z1,z2,z3,z4]+1=[z2,z1,z3,z4]\left|\left[z_{1}, z_{2}, z_{3}, z_{4}\right]\right|+1=\left|\left[z_{2}, z_{1}, z_{3}, z_{4}\right]\right|. Use this to deduce Ptolemy's relation on lengths of edges and diagonals of the inscribed 4-gon:

z1z3z2z4=z1z2z3z4+z2z3z4z1\left|z_{1}-z_{3}\right|\left|z_{2}-z_{4}\right|=\left|z_{1}-z_{2}\right|\left|z_{3}-z_{4}\right|+\left|z_{2}-z_{3}\right|\left|z_{4}-z_{1}\right|