Cambridge questions are written in precise mathematical English. If you know exactly what product, difference, justify and estimate ask you to do, you will not lose marks answering the wrong question.
| Term | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| coordinates | A pair of numbers (x, y) fixing a position. | (3, −2). |
| origin | The point (0, 0), where the axes cross. | The centre of the grid. |
| quadrant | One of the four regions the axes divide the plane into. | (−2, 5) is in quadrant 2. |
| transformation | A change of position, orientation or size. | Translation, reflection, rotation, enlargement. |
| object | The shape you start with. | Triangle A. |
| image | The shape after the transformation. | Triangle A′. |
| translation | A slide: every point moves the same way. | By (4, −1). |
| vector | The pair (across, up) describing a translation. | (−3, 5). |
| reflection | A flip in a mirror line. | In the y-axis. |
| mirror line | The line a shape is reflected in. | x = 2. |
| invariant point | A point that does not move. | A point on the mirror line. |
| rotation | A turn about a fixed point. | 90° anticlockwise about (1, 1). |
| centre of rotation | The point everything turns around. | The one point that does not move. |
| anticlockwise | The positive direction of turn. | Opposite to clock hands. |
| congruent | Same shape and same size. | After any slide, flip or turn. |
| similar | Same shape, possibly different size. | After an enlargement. |
| enlargement | A change of size by a scale factor. | Scale factor 3. |
| scale factor | The number every length is multiplied by. | k = 2 doubles every length. |
| scale | The rule linking a drawing to real life. | 1 : 25 000. |
| scale drawing | A drawing with every length reduced or enlarged equally. | A floor plan. |