Symmetry

Chapter 13
13.1 Introduction
Symmetry is quite a common term used in day to day life. When we see
certain figures with evenly balanced proportions, we say, “They are
symmetrical”.

Tajmahal (U.P.) Thiruvannamalai (Tamil Nadu)

These pictures of architectural marvel are beautiful

because of their symmetry.
Suppose we could fold a picture in half such that the
left and right halves match exactly then the picture is said
to have line symmetry (Fig 13.1). We can see that the two
halves are mirror images of each other. If we place a mirror
on the fold then the image of one side of the picture will
fall exactly on the other side of the picture. When it happens,
the fold, which is the mirror line, is a line of symmetry (or
an axis of symmetry) for the picture.
Fig 13.1
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The shapes you see here are symmetrical. Why?

When you fold them along the dotted line, one half of
the drawing would fit exactly over the other half.
How do you name the dotted line in the figure?
Where will you place the mirror for having the image
exactly over the other half of the picture?
The adjacent figure 13.2 is not symmetrical.
Can you tell ‘why not’? Fig 13.2

13.2 Making Symmetric Figures : Ink-blot Devils

Do This
Take a piece of paper. Fold it in half.
Spill a few drops of ink on one half side.
Now press the halves together.
What do you see?
Is the resulting figure symmetric? If yes, where is
the line of symmetry? Is there any other line along which
it can be folded to produce two identical parts?
Try more such patterns.
Inked-string patterns

Fold a paper in half. On one half-portion, arrange short lengths of string

dipped in a variety of coloured inks or paints. Now press the two halves.
Study the figure you obtain. Is it symmetric? In how many ways can it be
folded to produce two identical halves?
List a few objects you find in your class
room such as the black board, the table, the
You have two set-squares wall, the textbook, etc. Which of them are
in your ‘mathematical symmetric and which are not? Can you identify
instruments box’. Are they the lines of symmetry for those objects which
symmetric? are symmetric?

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EXERCISE 13.1
1. List any four symmetrical objects from your home or school.
l1
2. For the given figure, which one is the mirror line, l1 or l2?

3. Identify the shapes given below. Check whether they are

symmetric or not. Draw the line of symmetry as well. l2

(a) (b) (c)

(d) (e) (f)

4. Copy the following on a squared paper. A square paper is what you would have
used in your arithmetic notebook in earlier classes. Then complete them such that
the dotted line is the line of symmetry.

(a) (b) (c)

(d) (e) (f )

5. In the figure, l is the line of symmetry.

Complete the diagram to make it symmetric.
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6. In the figure, l is the line of symmetry.

Draw the image of the triangle and complete the diagram
so that it becomes symmetric.

13.3 Figures with Two Lines of Symmetry

Do This l

A kite
One of the two set-squares in your instrument box has angles of measure 30°,
60°, 90°.
Take two such identical set-squares. Place them side by side
to form a ‘kite’, like the one shown here.
How many lines of symmetry does the shape have?
Do you think that some shapes may have more than one line
of symmetry?
A rectangle
Take a rectangular sheet (like a post-card). Fold it once lengthwise so that one
half fits exactly over the other half. Is this fold a line of symmetry? Why?
Open it up now and
again fold on its
width in the same
way. Is this second
fold also a line of
1st fold 2nd fold symmetry? Why?

Do you find that these two lines are the lines of

Form as many symmetry?
shapes as you A cut out from double fold
can by Take a rectangular piece of paper. Fold
combining two it once and then once more. Draw
or more set some design as shown. Cut the shape
squares. Draw drawn and unfold the shape. (Before
them on squared unfolding, try to guess the shape you
paper and note are likely to get).
their lines of
How many lines of symmetry
symmetry.
does the shape have which has been
cut out?
Create more such designs.
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13.4 Figures with Multiple (more than two) Lines of Symmetry

Take a square piece of paper. Fold it into half vertically,

fold it again into half horizontally. (i.e. you have folded
it twice). Now open out the folds and again fold the
square into half (for a third time now), but this time
along a diagonal, as shown in the figure. Again open it
and fold it into half (for the fourth time), but this time
3 lines of symmetry
along the other diagonal, as shown in the figure. Open for an equilateral triangle
out the fold.
How many lines of symmetry does the shape have?
We can also learn to construct figures with two lines of symmetry starting
from a small part as you did in Exercise 13.1, question 4, for figures with one
line of symmetry.

1. Let us have a figure as shown alongside.

2. We want to complete it so that we get a figure

with two lines of symmetry. Let the two lines
of symmetry be A and B.

3. We draw the part as shown to get a figure having

line A as a line of symmetry.

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4. To complete the figure we need it to be

symmetrical about line B also. Draw the
remaining part of figure as shown.
This figure has two lines of symmetry i.e. line A
and line B.
Try taking similar pieces and adding to them so
that the figure has two lines of symmetry.
Some shapes have only one line of symmetry; some have two lines of
symmetry; and some have three or more.
Can you think of a figure that has six lines of symmetry?
Symmetry, symmetry everywhere!
G Many road signs you see everyday have lines of symmetry. Here, are a few.

Identify a few more symmetric

road signs and draw them.
Do not forget to mark the lines
of symmetry.

G The nature has plenty of

things having symmetry in
their shapes; look at these:

G The designs on some playing cards have line symmetry. Identify them for
the following cards.

G Here is a pair of scissors!

How many lines of symmetry does it have?

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G Observe this beautiful figure.

It is a symmetric pattern known as Koch’s
Snowflake. (If you have access to a computer, browse
through the topic “Fractals” and find more such beauties!).
Find the lines of symmetry in this figure.

EXERCISE 13.2
1. Find the number of lines of symmety for each of the following shapes :
(a) (b) (c)

(d) (e) (f)

(g) (h) (i)

2. Copy the triangle in each of the following figures on squared paper. In each case,
draw the line(s) of symmetry, if any and identify the type of triangle. (Some of
you may like to trace the figures and try paper-folding first!)

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

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3. Complete the following table.

Shape Rough figure Number of lines

of symmetry

Equilateral triangle 3

Square
Rectangle
Isosceles triangle
Rhombus
Circle

4. Can you draw a triangle which has

(a) exactly one line of symmetry?
(b) exactly two lines of symmetry?
(c) exactly three lines of symmetry?
(d) no lines of symmetry?
Sketch a rough figure in each case.
5. On a squared paper, sketch the following:
(a) A triangle with a horizontal line of symmetry but no vertical line of symmetry.
(b) A quadrilateral with both horizontal and vertical lines of symmetry.
(c) A quadrilateral with a horizontal line of symmetry but no vertical line of
symmetry.
(d) A hexagon with exactly two lines of symmetry.
(e) A hexagon with six lines of symmetry.
(Hint : It will be helpful if you first draw the lines of symmetry and then complete
the figures.)
6. Trace each figure and draw the lines of symmetry, if any:

(a) (b)

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(c) (d)

(e) (f )

7. Consider the letters of English alphabets, A to Z. List among them

the letters which have
(a) vertical lines of symmetry (like A)
(b) horizontal lines of symmetry (like B)
(c) no lines of symmetry (like Q)
8. Given here are figures of a few
folded sheets and designs drawn
about the fold. In each case, draw a
rough diagram of the complete
figure that would be seen when the
design is cut off.

13.5 Reflection and Symmetry

Line symmetry and mirror reflection are naturally related and linked to each
other.
Here is a picture showing the reflection of the English letter M. You can
imagine that the mirror is invisible and can just see the letter M and its image.

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The object and its image are symmetrical with reference

to the mirror line. If the paper is folded, the mirror line
becomes the line of symmetry. We then say that the image is
the reflection of the object in the mirror line. You can also
see that when an object is reflected, there is no change in the
lengths and angles; i.e. the lengths and angles of the object
and the corresponding lengths and angles of the image are
the same. However, in one aspect there is a change, i.e. there
is a difference between the object and the image. Can you
guess what the difference is?
(Hint : Look yourself into a mirror).

Do This
On a squared sheet, draw the figure ABC and find its
mirror image A'B'C' with l as the mirror line.
Compare the lengths of
AB and A' B'; BC and B' C'; AC and A' C'.
Are they different?
Does reflection change length of a line segment?
Compare the measures of the angles (use protractor
to measure) ABC and A'B'C'.
Does reflection change the size of an angle?
Join AA', BB' and CC'. Use your protractor to measure the angles between
the lines l and AA', l and BB', l and CC'.
What do you conclude about the angle between the mirror line l and the
line segment joining a point and its reflected image?
Paper decoration
If you are 100 cm in Use thin rectangular
front of a mirror, coloured paper. Fold it
where does your several times and create
image appear to be? some intricate patterns by
If you move towards cutting the paper, like the
the mirror, how does one shown here. Identify
your image move? the line symmetries in the
repeating design. Use such
decorative paper cut-outs
for festive occasions.

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Kaleidoscope
Patterns formed in Kaleidoscope
A kaleidoscope uses mirrors to produce
images that have several lines of
Cardboard symmetry (as shown here for example).
Usually, two mirrors strips forming a V-
shape are used. The angle between the
Mirror mirrors determines the number of lines
Broken bangles Tape
of symmetry.
Make a kaleidoscope and try to learn more about the symmetric images
produced.
Album
Collect symmetrical designs you come across and prepare an album.
Here are a few samples.

An application of reflectional symmetry

A paper-delivery boy wants to park his cycle at
some point P and deliver the newspapers to
houses A and B. Where should he park the cycle
so that his walking distance AP + BP will be least?
You can use reflectional symmetry here. Let
A' be the image of A in the mirror line which is
the street here. Then the point P is the ideal place
to park the cycle (where the mirror line and A' B
meet). Can you say why?

EXERCISE 13.3
1. Find the number of lines of symmetry in each of the following shapes.
How will you check your answers?

(a) (b) (c)

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(d) (e) (f )

2. Copy the following drawing on squared paper. Complete each one of them such
that the resulting figure has two dotted lines as two lines of symmetry.

(a) (b) (c)

(d) (e) (f )

How did you go about completing the picture?

3. In each figure alongside, a letter

of the alphabet is shown along
with a vertical line. Take the
mirror image of the letter in the
given line. Find which letters look
the same after reflection (i.e.
which letters look the same in the
A B
image) and which do not. Can
you guess why?

Try for OEMNPHLTSVX

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Rangoli patterns
Kolams and Rangoli are popular in our country. A few samples are given here.
Note the use of symmetry in them. Collect as many patterns as possible of
these and prepare an album.
Try and locate symmetric portions of these patterns alongwith the lines of
symmetry.

What have we discussed?

1. A figure has line symmetry if a line can be drawn dividing the figure into two
identical parts. The line is called a line of symmetry.
2. A figure may have no line of symmetry, only one line of symmetry, two lines of
symmetry or multiple lines of symmetry. Here are some examples.
Number of lines of symmetry Example
No line of symmetry A scalene triangle
Only one line of symmetry An isosceles triangle
Two lines of symmetry A rectangle
Three lines of symmetry An equilateral triangle

3. The line symmetry is closely related to mirror reflection. When dealing with
mirror reflection, we have to take into account the left ↔ right changes in
orientation.
Symmetry has plenty of applications in everyday life as in art, architecture, textile
technology, design creations, geometrical reasoning, Kolams, Rangoli etc.

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