Alphabet Symmetry - Linear and Rotational

Learn geometry concepts by watching animated letters dance across your screen!

Symmetry

More Alphabet Geometry:

Line Symmetry

Printable - Linear Symmetry Lesson and Practice - Use these printables to support the information on this webpage.

Let's begin!

Take a look at the letter below--half of it is missing. See if you can guess what letter it is and then click the button below it to see if you were correct.

What did you notice?

After you clicked the button the right half of the letter A appeared. It looked exactly the same as the left half! Because the two sides of the A look the same, or mirror each other, we say that the A has line symmetry. We call it line symmetry because we can actually draw a line down the middle of the A that divides the letter into two mirror images.

That line is called the line of symmetry. We could also fold the A on the line of symmetry and the two halves would fit perfectly on top of each other!

Many letters have more than one line of symmetry. The letter below has two lines of symmetry. See if you can guess what letter it is and then click on the button. It will show you two lines of symmetry.

Check your understanding

Which letter has the most lines of symmetry? Click the correct button.


Y	M	I

Learn about Symmetry in Nature!

Rotational Symmetry

Printable - Rotational Symmetry Lesson and Practice - Use these printables to support the information on this webpage.

The letter H also has line symmetry, but it has another kind of symmetry as well. Notice the yellow star on the H below. Make a note of where it begins and watch where it ends up after you click on the button.

What did you notice?

The yellow star ended up on the bottom right of the H after it rotated. Even though it was in a different place, the H still looked the same. When a figure looks the same after it is rotated, we say that it has rotational symmetry. The key though is that the letter (figure) cannot rotate a full turn. It must be less than a full turn.