GCSE Maths Practice: transformations

Question 8 of 10

Write a vector representing a translation in the coordinate plane.

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\( \begin{array}{l}\text{Write the vector for the translation 3 units right and 2 units down.}\end{array} \)

Choose one option:

Top = horizontal movement, bottom = vertical movement; positive = right/up, negative = left/down.

Vectors describe translations by indicating horizontal and vertical movement. The top number is horizontal displacement (positive for right, negative for left), and the bottom number is vertical displacement (positive for up, negative for down). For example, a translation 3 units right and 2 units down is represented as \(\begin{pmatrix}3\\-2\end{pmatrix}\). Understanding vectors is crucial for applying translations accurately, performing coordinate geometry transformations, and visualizing shapes in motion. Practice drawing shapes and applying vectors to each point to see the result. Check that distances and direction match the vector. Vectors help represent movement concisely and are widely used in mathematics, physics, and engineering.