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There is a small domain issue in the printed notation. If ${\mathbb{R}}^3/{\mathbb{R}}^2$ means a quotient vector space by the horizontal plane, the displayed formula does not descend to that quotient vector space: $(0,0,0)$ and $(1,0,0)$ represent the same class but give different values. The intended construction is stereographic projection, restricted to the unit sphere with the north pole removed. Interpreting the slash as removal of the plane $z=1$ also supplies a suitable ambient domain. The holomorphic stereographic atlas of the sphere is obtained as follows.

Write $N=(0,0,1)$ and $S=(0,0,-1)$. On $U_N=S^2\setminus \{N\}$ use $\zeta =(x+iy)/(1-z)$. Its inverse, with $\zeta =u+iv$, isThese formulas give a smooth manifold chart from $U_N$ onto $\mathbb{C}$. On $U_S=S^2\setminus \{S\}$ choose the second manifold chartIts inverse is $x=2\mathrm{Re}\eta /(1+|\eta {|}^2)$, $y=-2\mathrm{Im}\eta /(1+|\eta {|}^2)$ and $z=(1-|\eta {|}^2)/(1+|\eta {|}^2)$, so this is also a smooth manifold chart onto $\mathbb{C}$. The conjugation in this second stereographic projection is essential. On the overlap, $x^2+y^2=1-z^2$, soBoth directions of this transition are holomorphic maps on ${\mathbb{C}}^{\times }$, with nonzero derivative. The two manifold charts cover the sphere, hence define a holomorphic atlas, giving precisely the Riemann sphere. If one instead used $x+iy$ in both manifold charts, the transition would be $1/\bar{\zeta }$ and would not be holomorphic.

Orient the sphere by this holomorphic atlas. The given volume form is smooth at infinity: replacing $\zeta$ by $1/\eta$ in its exterior product gives the same expressionMoreover, $id\zeta \wedge d\bar{\zeta }=2du\wedge dv$, so the normalization of this volume form isThus the printed volume form has half the area of the standard round unit sphere; replacing its integral by $4\pi$ would introduce an erroneous factor of two.

For $k\ge 1$, the holomorphic map $f(\zeta )={\zeta }^k$ extends over infinity, since the target reciprocal coordinate is ${\eta }^k$ when the source reciprocal coordinate is $\eta$. Its pullback of a differential form isUsing $s=r^{2k}$ givesThe degree of a map between oriented manifolds is thereforeFor $k=0$, the formula on the finite manifold chart is the constant $1$. Its unique continuous extension is also $1$ at infinity, rather than an undefined expression ${\infty }^0$. Its pullback of a differential form is zero and its degree of a map between oriented manifolds is zero.

For the preimage calculation when $k\ge 1$, choose a regular value $w\in {\mathbb{C}}^{\times }$. There are exactly $k$ distinct roots of ${\zeta }^k=w$. At each root the real Jacobian determinant is $|k{\zeta }^{k-1}{|}^2>0$, so every local contribution to the degree of a map between oriented manifolds is $+1$. Their sum is $k$, agreeing with the integral. The exceptional values $0$ and infinity are avoided because they are branch values when $k>1$. For the constant map, any $w\ne 1$ is a regular value with no preimages, giving the same answer zero. This establishes the degree of a power map of the Riemann sphere for every allowed $k$.

The reciprocal chart makes infinity an ordinary coordinate origin. Its domain is the Riemann sphere minus the point $z=0$; $w(\infty )=0$ and $w(z)=1/z$ elsewhere. A neighbourhood $U_R$ of infinity becomes the open disc $|w|<1/R$. In sphere coordinates this is exactly the capFor $R=2$, the exterior $|z|>2$ together with infinity becomes $Z>3/5$ and $|w|<1/2$. The boundary itself is excluded from each open set.

The point $z=2+i$ lies in this neighbourhood because $|z|=\sqrt{5}>2$. Its reciprocal coordinate is $w=(2-i)/5$, with $|w|=1/\sqrt{5}<1/2$, and its sphere height is $Z=2/3>3/5$. The negative imaginary part of $w$ is the axis reversal required by the holomorphic stereographic atlas of the sphere.

For a complex-valued holomorphic function $f$ defined outside a large disc, having a removable singularity at infinity means that $g(w)=f(1/w)$ extends to a holomorphic function at $w=0$. This definition reduces questions at infinity to familiar questions at a finite point.^[ref] For example,The geometric series gives a Taylor series at the new origin, so $f(\infty )=1$ and $g^{\prime }(0)=-5$. The coefficient $-5$ is the derivative in the specified $w$ coordinate. In contrast, $f(z)=z^2$ becomes $g(w)=w^{-2}$, displaying a pole of order two at infinity when the target is the complex plane. As a holomorphic map to the Riemann sphere, it uses the target reciprocal coordinate $1/f(1/w)=w^2$, which is regular at zero.