Transum Software

Symmetry Table Challenge

In how many cells can you draw symmetrical shapes with these row and column headings?

Polygon Symmetry Geometry Toolbox Help Video More Symmetry
Row Label Column Label

 

None

2

3

4

0

×
×
×
×

1

×
×
×
×

2

×
×
×
×

3

×
×
×
×

4

×
×
×
×

Instructions

Fill in as many of the cells in the table as you can with rough sketches to show rotational and line symmetry. Many combinations are not possible so your task is to find the maximum number of cells it is possible to include.

Please note that this is not an activity that the computer is able to mark like the other Transum exercises. Take a screenshot of your work and send it to your teacher for feedback.

To extend this activity think about the possibility of adding more rows and columns to the table.

Why am I learning this?

Mathematicians are not the people who find Maths easy; they are the people who enjoy how mystifying, puzzling and hard it is. Are you a mathematician?

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An interactive online activity requiring logical thinking and a certain amount of luck. Numbers 1 to 6 are presented randomly and are to be used to produce two 2-digit numbers. Can you ensure that the first number is greater than the second?

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When planning to use technology in your lesson always have a plan B!

Trevor Cashmore, Vancouver, WA

Thursday, October 20, 2022

"For the first column, shouldn't the order be 1 instead of 0? (Speaking as an American educator, so maybe it's taught differently overseas!).

[Transum: Thanks for your feedback Trevor, I have changed the column heading to 'none' which I think better describes the situation.]"

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More on this topic including lesson Starters, visual aids, investigations and self-marking exercises.

Answers to this exercise are available lower down this page when you are logged in to your Transum account. If you don’t yet have a Transum subscription one can be very quickly set up if you are a teacher, tutor or parent.

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Answers to this exercise are available lower down this page when you are logged in to your Transum account. If you don’t yet have a Transum subscription one can be very quickly set up if you are a teacher, tutor or parent.

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