The rule for
y-axis reflection is
(x,y)→(−x,y), thus reflection in the
y-axis, the
x is negated.
⇒(−2,3) reflected in the
y-axis will be
−(−2),3 but
−−=+, hence
(2,3)A reflection is a transformation representing a flip of a figure. Figures may be reflected in a point, a line, or a plane. When reflecting a figure in a line or in a point, the image is congruent to the preimage.
A reflection maps every point of a figure to an image across a fixed line. The fixed line is called the line of reflection.
Some simple reflections can be performed easily in the coordinate plane using the general rules below.
Reflection in the
x-axis:
A reflection of a point over the
x-axis is shown.
The rule for a reflection over the
x-axis is
(x,y)→(x,−y), thus reflection in the
x-axis, the
y is negated.
Reflection in the
y-axis:
A reflection of a point over the
y-axis is shown.
The rule for a reflection over the
y-axis is
(x,y)→(−x,y), thus reflection in the
y-axis, the
x is negated.
Reflection in the line
y=x :
A reflection of a point over the line
y=x is shown.
The rule for a reflection in the line
y=x is
(x,y)→(y,x), thus you simply switch their positions.
Reflection in the line
y=−x :
A reflection of a point over the line
y=−x is shown.
The rule for a reflection in the origin is
(x,y)→(−y,−x), thus you simply negate the result of
y=x.