Quick maths homework question please

[Notquitegrownup]

If you have an irregular hexagon - ie two long sides and three short ones on each end, so that it looks a bit like a sausage - how many lines of symmetry does it have?

Ds1 and I can see two definite ones, which make up a cross; two more which make up the St Andrew's cross, as it were, going diagonally. Then there are potentially four more, which create two identical shapes, but which are not mirror images of each other - they are if you turn one of them through 180 degrees, iyswim . . . Are they lines of symmetry?

Any maths buffs or big brothers/sisters around?

Thanks

Sorry - that should have read irregular octagon!

bump?

does this help at all?

I think it would have only 2 lines of symmetry (If I understood correctly)

Two long sides can be folded onto each other - so that is one

The two short sides (at either end)can be folded onto each other - so that is two

None of the diagonal sides can be folded onto each other - so no diagonal symmetry

Cut it out & actually fold it

Are but there are 2 types of symetry - traditional "mirror symetry" and "rotational symetry". I can't tell from your description whether it has rotational symetry.

Are you talking about something like this:

..
/.......

\ /

Wow that's clever

two long sides and three short ones

This is actually a pentagon....

2 Lines of Symmetry

Rotational Order of 1

Thank you very much ladies. We confused ourselves, because the it was supposed to be a simple question about mirror symmetry, but then we confused ourselves by discovering rotational symmetry for ourselves.

(Also didn't help that it was supposed to be an irregular octagon, not a hexagon!!)

Homework done. Thank you.

"Also didn't help that it was supposed to be an irregular octagon, not a hexagon" - and then described a pentagon with 5 sides !

Glad it is done....