A rotation is the motion of a figure by holding one point fixed as the centre and turning the figure by a certain angle in a particular direction. A rotation turns a shape through a clockwise or anti-clockwise angle about a fixed point known as the centre of rotation.

Rotation, just like reflection, changes the orientation and position of the shape, but everything else stays the same, i.e. length and angle. The object and image are congruent shapes.

To describe a rotation, you must specify the following three things:

• The DIRECTION OF TURN (clockwise/anti-clockwise)
• The CENTRE OF ROTATION
• The ANGLE TURNED