Translate a point
Moving a point 2 right and 1 up adds 2 to x and 1 to y.
Every point moves by the same vector.
Year 6
Draw and translate simple shapes on the coordinate plane, and reflect them in the axes
Translate and reflect shapes using coordinate reasoning.
Lesson overview
Geometry - position and direction
A translation moves every point the same amount. A reflection flips a shape over a mirror line such as the x-axis or y-axis. The size and shape stay the same.
Reflect in the y-axis
Reflecting in the y-axis changes the sign of x but keeps y the same.
The point stays the same distance from the mirror line.
Worked example
Translate the point (2, 3) by 3 right and 2 down.
| Start | Move | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| (2,3) | +3, -2 | (5,1) |
- Add 3 to the x-coordinate.
- Subtract 2 from the y-coordinate.
- The new x-value is 5 and the new y-value is 1.
- The translated point is (5, 1).
Try it
Think about what happens to x and y separately when translating or reflecting.
Question 1
Translate (1, 2) by 2 right and 1 up:
Question 2
Reflect (4, -2) in the y-axis:
Question 3
Reflect (3, 5) in the x-axis:
Question 4
Translate (2, 3) by 3 right and 2 down:
| x | y |
|---|---|
| 2 + 3 | 3 - 2 |
Question 5
In a translation, what stays the same?
slide
flip
Common mistakes
Watch for these when working through the lesson.
- Changing only one coordinate during a translation.
- Swapping x and y.
- Reflecting by changing the wrong sign.
Related topics
These ideas fit closely with this lesson.
- Describe positions on the full coordinate grid in all four quadrants.
- Draw 2-D shapes using given dimensions and angles.