A reflected shape is a same-size, same-shape image produced by flipping across a line, with each point and its image the same perpendicular distance from the line of reflection. Learners match figures by attending to corresponding features and reversed orientation, distinguishing a reflection from a slide or turn; complex transformations and reflections across oblique lines are beyond this scope.
A reflection is a flip over a mirror line. The shape stays the same size and shape, but its left and right sides switch places. Each point is the same distance from the mirror line as its matching point.
Example
A shape is on the left side of a vertical mirror line:
To find the reflected match:
Check the shape.
The answer must also be a triangle with the same size and shape.
Look at special features.
The red dot was on the left, so after the flip it must be on the right.
The blue dot was on the right, so after the flip it must be on the left.
Check the direction.
The top of the triangle stays at the top, but its left and right sides switch.
Check the distance.
The reflected triangle must be the same distance from the mirror line as the original triangle.
So, choose the picture that has the red dot on the right, the blue dot on the left, the same triangle shape, and the same distance from the mirror line.
A picture that keeps the red dot on the left is a slide, not a reflection. A picture that points a different way because it was spun is a turn, not a reflection.
Click a topic below to practice the foundational skills you'll need, learn the steps, or master this skill
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