Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2009/ib/paper-2/12g/ii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2009 ib Paper 2 12G ii Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
Reflection of the sphere in the plane sends to . It preserves dot products, hence the spherical distance between every pair of points. Its stereographic expression isThis is an isometry of the sphere but is not a Möbius transformation: at any finite point, its complex difference quotient is one along real increments and minus one along imaginary increments, so it is not holomorphic. A Möbius transformation is holomorphic away from its pole. The geometric distinction is that this reflection reverses orientation, whereas a Möbius transformation preserves it.
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