![line of symmetry line of symmetry](https://thirdspacelearning.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Lines-of-symmetry-in-a-triangle.png)
#LINE OF SYMMETRY HOW TO#
How many lines of symmetry does a circle have?Ĭircles have an infinite number of lines of symmetry! Here is a diagram with some of them drawn on so that you can see how to draw them:ĭo you know how to find the line of symmetry in a triangle? What is a line of symmetry in a circle? It turns out that any line you draw through a circle, as long as it goes through the centre, is a line of symmetry! This means it would be impossible to draw all of them because no matter how many we’ve drawn, we can always find another one. Here’s how to find the line of symmetry in a circle Here is a diagram so that you can see where they are: How many lines of symmetry does a rectangle have?Ī rectangle with not all equal length sides therefore has 2 lines of symmetry. The lines which join opposite vertices of the rectangle will still cut the rectangle into 2 equally sized triangles, however they won’t overlap perfectly anymore when we fold along this line: Will all 4 of the lines of symmetry of a square still be lines of symmetry when the square has been stretched? The vertical and horizontal lines which join the centres of opposite sides still work. We can think of a rectangle as a square which has been stretched to make two of the sides longer. one where all the side lengths are equal), let us now focus on rectangles where not all of the side lengths are equal. What is a line of symmetry in a rectangle? Whilst a square is a special kind of rectangle (i.e. Here is a diagram so that you can see where they are:ĭiscover the line of symmetry of a rectangle How many lines of symmetry does a pentagon have?Ī regular pentagon must have 5 lines of symmetry as regular shapes have equal numbers of lines of symmetry and sides. What is a line of symmetry in a pentagon? Regular pentagons (and any other regular shapes with an odd number of sides) only have one type of line of symmetry: lines which join the middle of one side of the shape to the opposite vertex. Here is a diagram so that you can see where they are:įinding the line of symmetry of a pentagon How many lines of symmetry does a square have?Ī square is a regular quadrilateral which means that it has 4 lines of symmetry (2 of each of the types mentioned above). Look at the image below to see where these are. Ones which join the middle of one side of the shape to the middle of the opposite side.Ones which join opposite vertices together.What is a line of symmetry in a square? Squares (and any other regular shapes with an equal number of sides) have two types of lines of symmetry: These questions are good practice for any children who are going to sit the KS2 SATs. Scroll down to see where the lines of symmetry are in various different shapes and then have a go at the practice questions below. In year 4, Children should learn how to find all lines of symmetry of a 2D shapes as well as how to complete a symmetric figure where only part of the figure is drawn and the mirror line is shown. Once you’ve had a go, you can scroll down to the solutions to see if you got them right! These questions are good practice for any children who are going to sit the KS1 SATs.Ĭhildren studying KS2 primary school maths will build on their knowledge of symmetry from year 2 KS1 maths in year 3 and year 4. Scroll down to the practice questions to have a go at some of these yourself.
![line of symmetry line of symmetry](https://d39460vivz6red.cloudfront.net/questions/M-BB-SELINA7-CH17-EX17A-Q1/images/3_1592316605062.jpeg)
The diagram below shows some examples of shapes which are symmetrical, shapes which aren’t symmetrical and where the correct lines of symmetry should be drawn. Alternatively, you may be given a shape and asked whether or not it has a vertical line of symmetry and if so to draw it on with a ruler. You may be shown a shape with a vertical line through it and asked whether or not the line is a line of symmetry. How to find a line of symmetry in symmetrical shapesĬhildren studying KS1 primary school maths will need to learn how to find vertical lines of symmetry in year 2. Below is a guide on how to find lines of symmetry for a variety of shapes. Some irregular shapes have lines of symmetry, but the more irregular a shape is, the less likely it is to have a line of symmetry. Some shapes have no lines of symmetry, some have one and some have many! Regular shapes always have lines of symmetry, and the number of lines of symmetry is equal to the number of sides of the shape. Here are some examples of lines of symmetry in nature: Equivalently, if you were to place a mirror along the line of symmetry, the shape would be unchanged. A line of symmetry of a shape is a line which cuts the shape perfectly in half so that if you were to fold the shape along the line, both halves of the shape would overlap each other exactly.