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Point reflection
In geometry, a point reflection (also called a point inversion or central inversion) is a geometric transformation of affine space in which every point is reflected across a designated inversion center, which remains fixed. In Euclidean or pseudo-Euclidean spaces, a point reflection is an isometry (preserves distance). In the Euclidean plane, a point reflection is the same as a half-turn rotation (180° or π radians), while in three-dimensional Euclidean space a point reflection is an improper rotation which preserves distances but reverses orientation. A point reflection is an involution: applying it twice is the identity transformation.
An object that is invariant under a point reflection is said to possess point symmetry (also called inversion symmetry or central symmetry). A point group including a point reflection among its symmetries is called centrosymmetric. Inversion symmetry is found in many crystal structures and molecules, and has a major effect upon their physical properties.
The term reflection is loose, and considered by some an abuse of language, with inversion preferred; however, point reflection is widely used. Such maps are involutions, meaning that they have order 2 – they are their own inverse: applying them twice yields the identity map – which is also true of other maps called reflections. More narrowly, a reflection refers to a reflection in a hyperplane ( dimensional affine subspace – a point on the line, a line in the plane, a plane in 3-space), with the hyperplane being fixed, but more broadly reflection is applied to any involution of Euclidean space, and the fixed set (an affine space of dimension k, where ) is called the mirror. In dimension 1 these coincide, as a point is a hyperplane in the line.
In terms of linear algebra, assuming the origin is fixed, involutions are exactly the diagonalizable maps with all eigenvalues either 1 or −1. Reflection in a hyperplane has a single −1 eigenvalue (and multiplicity on the 1 eigenvalue), while point reflection has only the −1 eigenvalue (with multiplicity n).
The term inversion should not be confused with inversive geometry, where inversion is defined with respect to a circle.
In two dimensions, a point reflection is the same as a rotation of 180 degrees. In three dimensions, a point reflection can be described as a 180-degree rotation composed with reflection across the plane of rotation, perpendicular to the axis of rotation. In dimension n, point reflections are orientation-preserving if n is even, and orientation-reversing if n is odd.
Given a vector a in the Euclidean space Rn, the formula for the reflection of a across the point p is
In the case where p is the origin, point reflection is simply the negation of the vector a.
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Point reflection AI simulator
(@Point reflection_simulator)
Point reflection
In geometry, a point reflection (also called a point inversion or central inversion) is a geometric transformation of affine space in which every point is reflected across a designated inversion center, which remains fixed. In Euclidean or pseudo-Euclidean spaces, a point reflection is an isometry (preserves distance). In the Euclidean plane, a point reflection is the same as a half-turn rotation (180° or π radians), while in three-dimensional Euclidean space a point reflection is an improper rotation which preserves distances but reverses orientation. A point reflection is an involution: applying it twice is the identity transformation.
An object that is invariant under a point reflection is said to possess point symmetry (also called inversion symmetry or central symmetry). A point group including a point reflection among its symmetries is called centrosymmetric. Inversion symmetry is found in many crystal structures and molecules, and has a major effect upon their physical properties.
The term reflection is loose, and considered by some an abuse of language, with inversion preferred; however, point reflection is widely used. Such maps are involutions, meaning that they have order 2 – they are their own inverse: applying them twice yields the identity map – which is also true of other maps called reflections. More narrowly, a reflection refers to a reflection in a hyperplane ( dimensional affine subspace – a point on the line, a line in the plane, a plane in 3-space), with the hyperplane being fixed, but more broadly reflection is applied to any involution of Euclidean space, and the fixed set (an affine space of dimension k, where ) is called the mirror. In dimension 1 these coincide, as a point is a hyperplane in the line.
In terms of linear algebra, assuming the origin is fixed, involutions are exactly the diagonalizable maps with all eigenvalues either 1 or −1. Reflection in a hyperplane has a single −1 eigenvalue (and multiplicity on the 1 eigenvalue), while point reflection has only the −1 eigenvalue (with multiplicity n).
The term inversion should not be confused with inversive geometry, where inversion is defined with respect to a circle.
In two dimensions, a point reflection is the same as a rotation of 180 degrees. In three dimensions, a point reflection can be described as a 180-degree rotation composed with reflection across the plane of rotation, perpendicular to the axis of rotation. In dimension n, point reflections are orientation-preserving if n is even, and orientation-reversing if n is odd.
Given a vector a in the Euclidean space Rn, the formula for the reflection of a across the point p is
In the case where p is the origin, point reflection is simply the negation of the vector a.