Rotations

A rotation is a type of transformation that turns a shape around a fixed point, called the centre of rotation. The shape remains the same size and shape, but its position and orientation change. Rotations are described by three pieces of information:

Rotations of Shapes on a Coordinate Grid

There are three pieces of information you need to rotate a shape:

• The centre of rotation (e.g. the origin, \( (0, 0) \), or another fixed point).
• The angle of rotation (e.g. \( 90^\circ \), \( 180^\circ \), or \( 270^\circ \)).
• The direction of rotation (clockwise or anticlockwise).

Steps for Rotating a Shape

1. Mark the centre of rotation.
2. Draw the shape and centre of rotation on tracing paper.
3. Push your pencil into the centre of rotation and rotate the shape the desired angle.
4. Draw in the shape under the tracing paper.