Rotating a Shape
(KS2, Year 6)
Rotating a Shape
A shape can be rotated. When a shape is rotated, each point on the shape is turned by an angle about a centre of rotation.How to Rotate a Shape
Rotating a shape is easy.Question
Rotate the shape below by 60° clockwise about the point (3, 1).Step-by-Step:
1
Plot the centre of rotation.
In our example, the Cartesian coordinates of the centre of rotation is (3, 1). It is 3 units along the x-axis and 1 unit up the y-axis.
2
Draw a line from the centre of rotation to point A.
3
Measure the length of this line.
4
Measure the angle of rotation (60°) from the line.
Using a protractor, find 60° clockwise from the line found.
Mark this angle.
5
Draw a line from the centre of rotation.
It must be the same length as the line in Step 3 and be at the angle found in Step 4.
Answer:
With all the vertices (corners) of the shape rotated, the rotated shape can be drawn:What Is a Rotation?
A rotation turns a shape around a center. A rotation is a type of transformation.Clockwise and Counter-Clockwise
The direction of rotation is needed to describe a rotation.- If the rotation is in the same direction as the hands of a clock, the direction is clockwise.
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If the rotation is in the opposite direction as the hands of a clock, the direction is counter-clockwise or anti-clockwise.
A Rotation Can Be Described as Both Clockwise and Counter-Clockwise
Any rotation can be described as both clockwise and clockwise. The rotation below can be described as both 90° clockwise and 270° counter-clockwise:If a rotation is θ clockwise, it is 360 − θ counter-clockwise.