A shape is drawn on a centimetre grid. Write down the order of rotational symmetry of the shape.

Answer

The order of rotational symmetry is the number of times a shape can be rotated by less than 360 degrees and still look the same. The given shape is an L-shaped figure. Let's analyze its rotational symmetry. Imagine rotating the shape around its central point or a suitable pivot. If we rotate the shape by 90 degrees, it will look different. If we rotate it by 180 degrees, it will look different again. This shape would only align with its original position after a full 360-degree rotation. For a shape to have a rotational symmetry order of N (where N > 1), it must look identical to its original orientation at N distinct points during a full 360-degree rotation (excluding the 360-degree rotation itself, which always returns it to the original position). Consider the properties of this specific L-shape: - It has a longer vertical segment and a shorter horizontal segment extending to the right. - If rotated 90 degrees clockwise, the vertical segment would be horizontal, and the horizontal segment would be vertical, making the 'L' open upwards instead of to the right. This is not the same as the original shape. - If rotated 180 degrees clockwise, it would be an 'L' shape that is upside down and flipped horizontally, opening to the left and extending downwards. This is also not the same as the original shape. - If rotated 270 degrees clockwise, it would be an 'L' shape opening downwards. This is not the same as the original shape. Since the shape only looks identical to its original position after a full 360-degree rotation (and no rotations less than 360 degrees yield the same appearance), its order of rotational symmetry is 1. Therefore, the rotational symmetry of order is 1.