Consider the following transformation of the Cartesian plane: choose a lattice point and rotate the plane counterclockwise about that lattice point. Is it possible, through a sequence of such transformations, to take the triangle with vertices , and to the triangle with vertices , and ?
Solution
To determine if it is possible to transform the triangle with vertices , , and into the triangle with vertices , , and through a sequence of 90° counterclockwise rotations about lattice points, we analyze the effects of such rotations on the plane.
### Step 1: Understand the Effect of a 90° Counterclockwise Rotation
A 90° counterclockwise rotation around a point transforms a point to . Specifically, the transformation matrix for a 90° counterclockwise rotation is given by:
### Step 2: Analyze the Initial and Target Triangle
The initial triangle has vertices:
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The target triangle has vertices:
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### Step 3: Investigate the Orientation
The initial triangle is right-angled at the origin and oriented with a positive area:
The target triangle, however, does not change its area but its orientation needs careful consideration:
### Step 4: Check Transformations
Each 90° rotation essentially changes the orientation of the triangle by modifying the order of the vertices, but it preserves lattice alignments and relative positions about the chosen point. Importantly, these rotations are rigid transformations, which means they preserve distances, angles, and orientations are changed deterministically based on the rotation point.
### Step 5: Feasibility Check
The task is to match the triangle's orientation and shape through lattice-constrained rotations. However:
- Rotating about the vertex and accounting for lattice rules keeps the triangle vertices aligned along lattice lines due to the orthonormal transformation nature.
- No sequence of such transformations allows shifting a vertex from being aligned with one axis to the diagonal of the grid without breaking lattice-alignment constraints.
### Conclusion
Based on the properties of lattice-aligned transformations and the requirement to operate within the integer grid defined by lattice points, it is impossible to perform a sequence of 90° rotations that transforms the given triangle into the desired target triangle without violating its lattice-defined geometry.
Hence, the answer is: