Question

If triangle abc is reflected over the x-axis, reflected over the y-axis, and rotated 180 degrees, where will point b' lie?

Answer 1

Answer:

Step-by-step explanation:

The triangle would end up back where it started.  It is hard to explain without a graph.  If you have graph paper, you might want to try drawing this out.  Say that the original points are at A (1,2) B (2,0) and C(0,0).  Now, when we reflect the points over the x axis, they will be the same distance below the x that the points original were about the x axis.  Since A was 2 units above the axis, it will now be 2 units below at (1, -2).  Points B and C will stay on the x axis and will remain in place at B(2.0) and C(0,0).  Since these points are on the line, they were not above the x axis, so they will now not be below the x axis.

Now, we are going to reflect the triangle over the y axis.  Since C (0,0) is already on the y axis, it will not move.  It will remain there.  Since B(2,1) is two units to the right of the y axis, when we flip it, it will now be 2 units to the left of the y axis B (-2,0).  Point C will move one unit to the left of the y axis to become (-1,2).

The last thing left it to rotate this final triangle 180 degrees.  Since a circle is 360 degrees and 180 is half of a circle, it does not matter if we rotate clockwise or counter-clockwise.  If you could trace our new triangle and put a plus sign at the origin (0,0).  You would put your pencil on the origin  and rotate the two turns at the plus sign.  This would put your triangle right back to the beginning.  So the original value of B would be the same.  In this case C ((2,0)