Let $\mathbb S^1$ the unit circle centered at the origin and the pole $p=(0,1)$. The stereographic projection is the homeomorphism $\varphi:\mathbb S^1\setminus \{p\}\to \mathbb R^1$. In order to find a formula for $\varphi$, note that the point of the semi-straight line $px$ are of the form $p+t((x,y)-p)$ with $t>0$ and $(x,y)\in \mathbb S^1$. This point is in the line $y=0$ whenever the last coordinate $1+t(y-1)$ is zero. So the $\varphi(x,y)=\frac{x}{1-y}$. I'm having troubles to find a formula of the inverse. It seems just high school geometry, but I couldn't find the inverse.
2026-03-25 07:48:28.1774424908
The inverse map of the stereographic projection
11.2k Views Asked by Bumbble Comm https://math.techqa.club/user/bumbble-comm/detail At
1
There are 1 best solutions below
Related Questions in REAL-ANALYSIS
- how is my proof on equinumerous sets
- Finding radius of convergence $\sum _{n=0}^{}(2+(-1)^n)^nz^n$
- Optimization - If the sum of objective functions are similar, will sum of argmax's be similar
- On sufficient condition for pre-compactness "in measure"(i.e. in Young measure space)
- Justify an approximation of $\sum_{n=1}^\infty G_n/\binom{\frac{n}{2}+\frac{1}{2}}{\frac{n}{2}}$, where $G_n$ denotes the Gregory coefficients
- Calculating the radius of convergence for $\sum _{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{\left(\sqrt{ n^2+n}-\sqrt{n^2+1}\right)^n}{n^2}z^n$
- Is this relating to continuous functions conjecture correct?
- What are the functions satisfying $f\left(2\sum_{i=0}^{\infty}\frac{a_i}{3^i}\right)=\sum_{i=0}^{\infty}\frac{a_i}{2^i}$
- Absolutely continuous functions are dense in $L^1$
- A particular exercise on convergence of recursive sequence
Related Questions in GEOMETRY
- Point in, on or out of a circle
- Find all the triangles $ABC$ for which the perpendicular line to AB halves a line segment
- How to see line bundle on $\mathbb P^1$ intuitively?
- An underdetermined system derived for rotated coordinate system
- Asymptotes of hyperbola
- Finding the range of product of two distances.
- Constrain coordinates of a point into a circle
- Position of point with respect to hyperbola
- Length of Shadow from a lamp?
- Show that the asymptotes of an hyperbola are its tangents at infinity points
Related Questions in ANALYTIC-GEOMETRY
- Asymptotes of hyperbola
- Position of point with respect to hyperbola
- Length of Shadow from a lamp?
- Show that the asymptotes of an hyperbola are its tangents at infinity points
- Surface by revolution
- All possible values of coordinate k such that triangle ABC is a right triangle?
- Triangle inside triangle
- Is there an equation to describe regular polytopes?
- How do I prove that the gradient between a fixed and any general point on a given line is $m$?
- Three-Dimensional coordinate system
Related Questions in STEREOGRAPHIC-PROJECTIONS
- Understanding the formula for stereographic projection of a point.
- Complex exponentials and the math behind Mercator's projection
- finding two charts to cover the manifold $S^n$
- Question on nomenclature of ... mappings?
- Math software to generate stereographic projection of polyhedra
- How to project 5D to 3D?
- How does the stereographic map from $S^{2}$ to $\mathbb R^2$ "induce" a metric on $\mathbb R^2$
- Bijection between $\mathbb{P}^{1}(\mathbb{C})$ and the unit sphere
- Smoothness of streographic projection
- How to describe the relative positions?
Trending Questions
- Induction on the number of equations
- How to convince a math teacher of this simple and obvious fact?
- Find $E[XY|Y+Z=1 ]$
- Refuting the Anti-Cantor Cranks
- What are imaginary numbers?
- Determine the adjoint of $\tilde Q(x)$ for $\tilde Q(x)u:=(Qu)(x)$ where $Q:U→L^2(Ω,ℝ^d$ is a Hilbert-Schmidt operator and $U$ is a Hilbert space
- Why does this innovative method of subtraction from a third grader always work?
- How do we know that the number $1$ is not equal to the number $-1$?
- What are the Implications of having VΩ as a model for a theory?
- Defining a Galois Field based on primitive element versus polynomial?
- Can't find the relationship between two columns of numbers. Please Help
- Is computer science a branch of mathematics?
- Is there a bijection of $\mathbb{R}^n$ with itself such that the forward map is connected but the inverse is not?
- Identification of a quadrilateral as a trapezoid, rectangle, or square
- Generator of inertia group in function field extension
Popular # Hahtags
second-order-logic
numerical-methods
puzzle
logic
probability
number-theory
winding-number
real-analysis
integration
calculus
complex-analysis
sequences-and-series
proof-writing
set-theory
functions
homotopy-theory
elementary-number-theory
ordinary-differential-equations
circles
derivatives
game-theory
definite-integrals
elementary-set-theory
limits
multivariable-calculus
geometry
algebraic-number-theory
proof-verification
partial-derivative
algebra-precalculus
Popular Questions
- What is the integral of 1/x?
- How many squares actually ARE in this picture? Is this a trick question with no right answer?
- Is a matrix multiplied with its transpose something special?
- What is the difference between independent and mutually exclusive events?
- Visually stunning math concepts which are easy to explain
- taylor series of $\ln(1+x)$?
- How to tell if a set of vectors spans a space?
- Calculus question taking derivative to find horizontal tangent line
- How to determine if a function is one-to-one?
- Determine if vectors are linearly independent
- What does it mean to have a determinant equal to zero?
- Is this Batman equation for real?
- How to find perpendicular vector to another vector?
- How to find mean and median from histogram
- How many sides does a circle have?

Let $x^2+y^2=1$ with $x=\varphi(1-y)$ we find $y=\dfrac{\varphi^2-1}{\varphi^2+1}$.
Edit: with $x=t(1-y)$ and $t^2(1-y)^2+y^2=1$ we find $y=\dfrac{t^2-1}{t^2+1}$. From $x=t(1-y)=t(1-\dfrac{t^2-1}{t^2+1})$ which gives us $\psi:\mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}^2$, with $\psi(t)=\left(t(1-\dfrac{t^2-1}{t^2+1}),\dfrac{t^2-1}{t^2+1}\right)$.