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Geometry - Reflections and translations

Grade 5IGCSE

Review the key concepts, formulae, and examples before starting your quiz.

🔑Concepts

Transformation: A general term for four specific ways to manipulate the shape and/or position of a point, a line, or geometric figure.

Translation: Moving a shape without rotating or flipping it. The shape looks exactly the same, just in a different place (sliding).

Reflection: A transformation that acts like a mirror. Every point is the same distance from the central line (mirror line) as the original shape.

Mirror Line (Axis of Reflection): The fixed line across which a figure is reflected. It can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal.

Congruence: In both reflections and translations, the image remains 'congruent' to the original, meaning it has the same size and shape.

Object and Image: The original shape is called the 'Object', and the shape after the transformation is called the 'Image'.

📐Formulae

Translation Rule: (x,y)(x+a,y+b)(x, y) \rightarrow (x + a, y + b) where aa is the horizontal shift and bb is the vertical shift.

Reflection over the x-axis: (x,y)(x,y)(x, y) \rightarrow (x, -y)

Reflection over the y-axis: (x,y)(x,y)(x, y) \rightarrow (-x, y)

💡Examples

Problem 1:

A triangle has a vertex at P(2,4)P(2, 4). If the triangle is translated 3 units to the right and 2 units down, what are the new coordinates of PP'?

Solution:

P(5,2)P'(5, 2)

Explanation:

To move 3 units right, add 3 to the x-coordinate: 2+3=52 + 3 = 5. To move 2 units down, subtract 2 from the y-coordinate: 42=24 - 2 = 2.

Problem 2:

Reflect the point Q(3,7)Q(3, 7) across the x-axis. What are the coordinates of the image QQ'?

Solution:

Q(3,7)Q'(3, -7)

Explanation:

When reflecting across the x-axis, the x-coordinate remains the same, but the y-coordinate changes its sign (multiplied by -1).

Problem 3:

A square is reflected across a vertical mirror line x=5x = 5. If a vertex of the square is at (2,3)(2, 3), what is the x-coordinate of the reflected vertex?

Solution:

x=8x = 8

Explanation:

The original vertex is 3 units away from the mirror line (52=35 - 2 = 3). The reflected image must also be 3 units away on the other side: 5+3=85 + 3 = 8.