9TH GRADE MATHEMATICS – MYP4

GEOMETRIC
TRANSFORMATIONS
TEACHER: JOSE ARTURO GONZALEZ
INTRODUCTION
TRANSFORMATIONS
When we change the size, shape orientation or position of a given object, we call this a
transformation.
Reflections, rotations, translations and enlargements are some examples of transformations. We
can describe these transformations mathematically using transformation geometry.
In transformation geometry figures are changed (transformed) in size, shape, orientation or
position according to certain rules. The original figure is always called the object and the resulting
figure is known as the image.
The following are examples of a possible transformations:
INTRODUCTION
The transformation we will be studying in this learning unit include:

• Translations, here every point moves a fixed distance in a given direction.

INTRODUCTION
The transformation we will be studying in this learning unit include:

• Rotations, here we will turn an object around a point.

INTRODUCTION
The transformation we will be studying in this learning unit include:

• Reflections, also known as mirror images.

INTRODUCTION
The transformation we will be studying in this learning unit include:

• Enlargements & Reductions (Dilation), here objects are transformed into larger or smaller
images of the same shape.
TRANSLATIONS
When we are talking about a translation, we are referring to a transformation in which every
point of a figure moves a fixed distance in a given direction.

Consider the following translation:
If you look closely, every point that defines this object moves 3
units to the right and 2 units up to form the image.
To specify this transformation, we use the following:
3
• The translation vector where to top number specifies
2
the x-step and the bottom number indicates the y-step.
• The red line with an arrow head shows the directed line
segment clearly shows the direction and distance specifying
the translation.
How can we determine the distance that every point moves?
TRANSLATIONS
Consider the following example:
TRANSLATIONS
EXERCISES:

1. The object A has been translated to give an image B in each figure. Specify the translation in
each case using the correct translation vector.
TRANSLATIONS
EXERCISES:
TRANSLATIONS
EXERCISES:
TRANSLATIONS
EXERCISES:
REFLECTIONS
In our daily everyday life we encounter reflections as we look in a bathroom mirror every
morning, when we look into a body of water, or when we glance at up coming traffic in a car’s
rear-view mirror.
INVESTIGATION - PROPERTIES OF REFLECTION
REFLECTIONS
Do the following:
REFLECTIONS
We can now conclude from our investigation the following
things:
• The image is as far behind the mirror line as the object is in
front of it.
• The line joining any image point to it’s corresponding point
on the object forms right angles to the mirror line.
• All lengths and angles are the same size in the image as
they are in the object.
• Any points found on the mirror line do not move.
The mirror line is the perpendicular bisector of every point
on the object and its corresponding point on the image.
We can now use the previous conclusions to help us draw
reflections.
REFLECTIONS
Consider the following example:
REFLECTIONS
EXERCISES:
REFLECTIONS
EXERCISES:
 REFLECTIONS
EXERCISES:
REFLECTIONS
LINE SYMMERTY
A figure is said to have an axis or line of symmetry if it can be reflected in that line so that each half
of the original figure is reflected onto the other half of the figure.
In other words, a figure has a line of symmetry if it can be folded onto itself along that line.

Consider the following examples:

A triangle has one axis of symmetry.

However a square has four axis of symmetry.

REFLECTIONS
Consider the following example:
REFLECTIONS – LINES OF SYMMETRY
EXERCISES:
ROTATIONS
As in the previous two transformations we are exposed to rotations everyday. If you look at a
bike, when a wheel moves about its axle…we say that the wheel rotates. The center point on the
axle is called the center of rotation. The angle through which the wheel turns is known as the angle
of rotation. Other examples are the movement of the hands of a clock and the opening and
closing of a door.
Rotations are transformations in which one point called O is
fixed and all other points are rotated through the same angle ⍬
about O.
O is called the center of rotation and ⍬ is known as the angle of
rotation.

Now lets notice that OA=OA’ and AA’ is an arc of a circle with
center O.To completely describe a rotation we need to know:
• The center of the rotation.
• The direction of the rotation (clockwise or counter-
clockwise).
• The angle of the rotation.
ROTATIONS
Consider the following example:
ROTATIONS
EXERCISES:
EXERCISES:

ROTATIONS
ROTATIONS
EXERCISES:
ROTATIONS
Consider the following example:
ROTATIONS
EXERCISES:

Assume point O to be the origin (0,0)

ROTATIONS
EXERCISES:
 DILATIONS (ENLARGEMENTS & REDUCTIONS)
If we stop for a minute, we are all familiar with enlargements in the form photographs, the use of
zoom tools in computer software, or simply looking through a microscope and on the other hand
plans and maps are examples of reductions.
Look carefully at the diagram below, with the smallest shape A as our starting shape. Shape B has
each length twice the size it had in the original shape. We say shape B is an enlargement of shape A
with a scale factor of 2.
 DILATIONS (ENLARGEMENTS & REDUCTIONS)
If we keep looking:
• Shape C is an enlargement of shape A with a scale factor of 3.
• Shape D is an enlargement of shape A with a scale factor of 4.
Now, let us start with shape D as the original shape:
!
• Shape B is a reduction of shape D with a scale factor since each length gets halved and shape A
"
!
is a reduction of shape D with scale factor .
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$
• Shape C is a reduction of shape D with scale factor . This simply means that for every 3 units of
#
length in C, there are 4 units of length in D.

For any enlargement the scale

factor is always greater than 1.
For any reduction the scale factor
is always less than 1.
DILATIONS (ENLARGEMENTS & REDUCTIONS)
EXERCISES:
DILATIONS (ENLARGEMENTS & REDUCTIONS)
Example of Center of Enlargement:

!
scale factor "
DILATIONS (ENLARGEMENTS & REDUCTIONS)
Example of Center of Enlargement:
DILATIONS (ENLARGEMENTS & REDUCTIONS)
EXERCISES:
DILATIONS (ENLARGEMENTS & REDUCTIONS)
EXERCISES:
DILATIONS (ENLARGEMENTS & REDUCTIONS)
EXERCISES:
TESSELATIONS
Tessalations are created by repeating the same shape over and over again in a way that the shapes
fit together with out leaving any gaps between the shapes.

Consider the following examples:

POLYGONS
 TESSELATIONS
Brick laying, another simple example. Formed by using regular rectangles. What transformation
was used to generate these patterns? Can you think why brick walls are usually constructed using
the first pattern rather than the second?

1 2

Two more tessellations formed from rectangles are shown to the

right, these involve translations and rotations. For these particular
patterns to work and form a tessellation, the length of each
rectangle needs to be twice the width.
TESSELATIONS
The only regular polygons to tesselate are equilateral triangles, squares, and regular hexagons:
TESSELATIONS
Example:
TESSELATIONS
Example:
 TESSELATIONS
We can use the three regular polygons or other shapes which we already know can tesselate as a
starting point to create more interesting patterns and designs. We can then alter these basic shapes
using translations, rotations and reflections in certain ways.
Translations can easily be used on parts of a regular shape to produce another more complex
tessellating shape.
In the example below, we can start with a parallelogram, alter one side, and then translate this
alteration to the other side..
TESSELATIONS
EXERCISES:
TESSELATIONS
EXERCISES:
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Bibliography:
Vollmar P., et.al., “Mathematics for the international
Student MYP 4”, Haese & Harris Publications