Rotating and Reflecting Figures Onto Themselves
Instructions
Below are 3 different figures - a parallelogram, a trapezoid, and a pentagon. Using the toolbar at the top of each figure, draw the line(s) of symmetry if the figure has one. Experiment with reflecting the figure over those lines. The toolbar can also be used to rotate the figure. Put a point in the center of the figure and rotate n degrees around that point to determine if the figure can be mapped back onto itself.
Figure 1
Question 1a
How many lines of symmetry does the parallelogram have? Were you able to reflect it onto itself? Explain what happened.
Question 1b
Describe how you found the center of the parallelogram.
Question 1c
How many degrees does it take to rotate the parallelogram onto itself?
Figure 2
Question 2a
How many lines of symmetry does the trapezoid have?
Question 2b
Were you able to rotate the trapezoid so it was mapped onto itself? Explain why or why not.
Figure 3
Question 3a
Describe how you found the center of the pentagon.
Question 3b
How many lines of symmetry does the pentagon have?
Question 3c
How many degrees does it take to rotate the pentagon back onto itself? Explain any patterns you see.