Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2001 / ib / Paper 1 / 4B (Geometry)

The curvature-minus-one Poincaré disk model has Riemannian metricThe geodesics through zero are Euclidean diameters. Indeed, for a path written in polar coordinates, its length is at least $\int 2|\dot{r}|/(1-r^2)dt$, and hence at least $2\mathrm{artanh}r$ between zero and a point of modulus $r$. The radial segment attains this lower bound. By uniqueness of a geodesic with given initial tangent, these radial paths describe all geodesics through the origin. The radial hyperbolic distance isThus a hyperbolic circle in the Poincare disc is the indicated Euclidean circle.

An isometry from the Poincaré half-plane model to the Poincaré disk model is the Cayley transform between the half-plane and disk,Writing $z=x+iy$, one has $1-|w{|}^2=4y/|z+i{|}^2$ and $|dw{|}^2=4|dz{|}^2/|z+i{|}^4$. Substitution into the disk Riemannian metric gives $d{s}^2=|dz{|}^2/y^2$, the half-plane metric, and $i$ maps to zero.

Put $r=\tanh (\rho /2)$. The inverse image of $|w|=r$ obeysSince $(1+r^2)/(1-r^2)=\cosh \rho$, completing the square yieldsThis proves that the hyperbolic circle in the upper half-plane has Euclidean centre $i\cosh \rho$ and radius $\sinh \rho$.