Split It Up!
Vertical line of symmetry.
Square Symmetry
How many lines of symmetry can you see in a square?
Goal:
Goal:
When discussing lines of symmetry, the best place to start is with a square! This is because a square has many lines of symmetry. Take a moment to figure out just how many it has by clicking through the slideshow below.
Before beginning, take a guess: How many lines of symmetry do you think that a square has?
Let’s find out—click through the slides below to see all lines of symmetry in a square.
Horizontal Split!
If we can split our square in the middle with a vertical line of symmetry (a line that goes up and down), let's see if we can split our square in the middle with a horizontal line of symmetry (a line that goes left and right).
Diagonals
Right-to-left diagonal line of symmetry.
Left-to-right diagonal line of symmetry.
Now, let's add two more lines of symmetry by drawing two diagonal lines that connect the corners.
Put It All Together!
Now, we can put all of the lines of symmetry together to see how many we have altogether.
The square has four lines of symmetry. Each line splits the square into two equal, mirror-image pieces.
Now consider a parallelogram.
Can you find any lines of symmetry in a parallelogram?
It is important to make sure that you know exactly what kind of parallelogram you are working with! A parallelogram will usually have zero lines of symmetry and will not be symmetric. However, there are some special types of parallelograms, such as squares, rectangles, and rhombi, that are symmetric and have multiple lines of symmetry.
