Rotational Symmetry

A figure has Rotational Symmetry if when it is rotated \( < 360^\circ \) and it looks the same as its original figure.

The Order of Rotational Symmetry is the number of times the figure looks the same as its original figure when rotated \(360^\circ \).

The diagram below shows a regular (i.e. equal sides) hexagon (i.e. 6-sided polygon) with rotational symmetry of order 6.

The figures below each has a rotational symmetry of order 4.

The diagrams below show some examples of figures with rotational symmetry and their order of rotational symmetry.

Click on the "play" buttons (\( \triangleright \)) below to see the animation of the figures being rotated \(360^\circ \).


Click on the "rotate" buttons, followed by the "starting point" dots to see the animation of the figure being rotated \(360^\circ \).



Click on the "start" button on the interactive activity below, followed by the "open instructions" tab at the bottom of the interactive activity.



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