Transformations
Categories: gcse geometry
Transformations move a shape from one place to another and may have other effects too. There are four main types of transformation:
- Translation, which slides a shape to a different position.
- Rotation, which spins the shape about a point.
- Reflection, which creates a mirror image of the shape.
- Scaling, which makes the shape bigger or smaller.
You can also apply a combination of two or more transformations.
Mapping
A transformation is often described as mapping one shape onto another. For example in this case:
We can say that a translation will map shape A onto shape B. In this case, translating triangle A 5 units to the left and 4 units down will map A onto B.
This can be done as a single translation (5 to the left and 4 down at the same time).
You could also transform the shape in two or more steps. For example, you could move the shape 2 to the left, then 4 down, then 3 to the left, which would use three steps to get the same result. An exam question will often ask for the single transformation that maps one shape onto another
Here is a video that shows translations and rotations:
See also
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