Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2014/ia/paper-3/7d/i/solution

Identify the projective line with one-dimensional subspaces of : use for finite , and . This convention turns the matrix action into the stipulated Möbius transformation.
Since and are distinct projective points, are a basis. Write . Both and are nonzero, because is different from . The matrix with columns and is invertible and sends the lines of to those of , respectively. This constructs the requested map without separate exceptional formulas at infinity.
A matrix fixing and is diagonal, say with . To fix it must also satisfy , so the stabilizer subgroup of is precisely . Any two solutions differ on the right by one of these matrices. Thus
Equivalently, after dividing out scalar matrices the projective general linear group action on the projective line is sharply three-transitive on a projective line.

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