Describing Movements
Describe movements between positions as translations of a given unit to the left/right and up/down
What a learner can do afterwards
- Describe moving from (2,3) to (5,3) as 3 units to the right
- Translate a shape 4 units right and 2 units up and state the new coordinates
- Predict where a point will be after a given translation
The lesson
You already know how to read coordinates and slide shapes on a grid. Now you will describe that slide in a clear way: how many units left or right, and how many units up or down.
A point starts at (2, 3) and ends at (5, 3). The y-number stays 3, so the point did not move up or down. The x-number went from 2 to 5, a change of 3. The movement is 3 units to the right.
A shape has a corner at (1, 1). You slide it 4 units right and 2 units up. Add 4 to the x-number: 1 + 4 = 5. Add 2 to the y-number: 1 + 2 = 3. The corner is now at (5, 3).
Right and up add to your numbers. Left and down subtract. Check the x-number for left and right, and the y-number for up and down, one at a time.
A movement on a grid is just adding or subtracting units from the x-number for left and right, and the y-number for up and down.
Watch it
Where it sits
This opens up
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.