Two transformations are said to commute if applying the first followed by the second gives the same result as applying the second followed by the first. Consider these four transformations of the coordinate plane:
- a translation units to the right,
- a -rotation counterclockwise about the origin,
- a reflection across the -axis, and
- a dilation centered at the origin with scale factor
Of the pairs of distinct transformations from this list, how many commute?
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Problem © Mathematical Association of America (MAA), American Mathematics Competitions. Reproduced for non-commercial educational use. Solution and commentary are original to this site.