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Rigid Motion Summary

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About This Diagram

This diagram compares the three rigid motions side-by-side: translation (slide), rotation (turn), and reflection (flip). Click each card to animate the transformation.

Rigid Motions Comparison

Property Translation Rotation Reflection
Distance ✓ Preserved ✓ Preserved ✓ Preserved
Angle ✓ Preserved ✓ Preserved ✓ Preserved
Orientation ✓ Preserved ✓ Preserved ✗ Reversed

Key Concepts

  • Rigid motions preserve distance and angle measure
  • Also called isometries
  • Two figures are congruent if one can be mapped to the other by rigid motions
  • Reflection is the only rigid motion that reverses orientation

Why Dilation is NOT Rigid

Dilations change distances (size), so they do NOT preserve distance and therefore are NOT rigid motions.

Interaction

Click on "Translation", "Rotation", or "Reflection" cards to animate each transformation.

Learning Objectives

  • Understand what properties rigid motions preserve
  • Analyze differences between the three rigid motions
  • Evaluate why dilation is not a rigid motion

Bloom's Taxonomy Level

Understanding, Analyzing, and Evaluating - Comparing transformations.

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