Why does this method for 'generating' rotation matrices fo... https://www.reddit.com/r/learnmath/comments/1en4du6/...

r/learnmath Search in r/learnmath Log In

r/learnmath • 7 mo. ago

yrk15

Why does this method for 'generating' rotation matrices for angles that are
multiples of 90 work?
TOPIC
[High School Maths] Matrix Transformations

Hi, my maths textbook suggests that rotation matricies for 90, 180, 270, and 360 degrees can be generated
by using the points (1,0) and (0,1) and rotating them by the specified angle, then recording the new image
points into the columns of the matrix. I see the pattern and sort of why it works, when you multiply out the
transformation matrix and the pre-image point, you get the image points, but how does putting into the
columns just magically make it work?

For example for a rotation of 90 degrees:

(1,0) -> (0,1); <- Represents change to the x coordinate, In this case, old x becomes new y.

(1,0) -> (-1,0) <- Represents change to the y coordinate. Old y becomes new x.

Therefore: (x,y) -> (-y, x)

Putting it into a matrix:

0 -1

1 0

See how the points (0,1) and (-1,0) are the columns of the new matrix

Is that just a coincidence or is there a reason as to why it works that way?

1 11 Share

BoldDesk • Promoted

#1 Zendesk Alternative: More Features, 50% Less Cost - Try Demo!

Learn More bolddesk.com

Add a comment

1 of 8 2/27/25, 22:09
Why does this method for 'generating' rotation matrices fo... https://www.reddit.com/r/learnmath/comments/1en4du6/...

Sort by: Best Search Comments

r/learnmath Log In

hpxvzhjfgb • 7mo ago

Top 1% Commenter

this has nothing to do with rotations specifically, it is the fundamental relation between all linear
transformations and matrices.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZHQObOWTQDPD3MizzM2xVFitgF8hE_ab watch the first 3

videos

4 Reply

DTux5249 • 7mo ago

The general rotation transformation matrix is the following:

cos x -sin x

sin x cos x

The reason for this makes a lot of intuitive sense if you understand trig and what a matrix
transformation is doing.

You are effectively changing the basis vectors of whatever you're multiplying by this matrix; changing
the direction of the x & y axis if you will. The new direction of each is determined by the column
vectors of this matrix.

The x axis is now traveling in the direction [cosx, sinx], and the y axis is now traveling along [-sinx,
cosx]

Think about what cosine & sine mean, and what they equal when x = 90°

3 Reply

iOSCaleb • 7mo ago

Top 1% Commenter
If you have a hard time seeing this, write a pair of equations x' = ... and y' = ... that give the new
coordinates (x', y') when you rotate by a given angle. Matrices are essentially an alternative way to
write and manipulate systems of equations. Sometimes it's easier to see why a particular matrix
does what it does if you write down the corresponding equations.

2 Reply

LucaThatLuca • 7mo ago • Edited 7mo ago

Top 1% Commenter

This is not specific to rotations, it’s a fact about matrices. If I use i = (1, 0) and j = (0, 1), this will be
easier to read.

If M is any 2x2 matrix, then Mi is the first column of M and Mj is the second column of M — so that’s it,
they’re the two columns of M. It is just because of the way matrix multiplication is.

Um, some notes that you may be interested in:

These two values determine the whole image of the transformation because multiplication satisfies

2 of 8 2/27/25, 22:09
Why does this method for 'generating' rotation matrices fo... https://www.reddit.com/r/learnmath/comments/1en4du6/...

M(u+v) = Mu + Mv. That is, M((x,y)) = M(xi + yj) = x(Mi) + y(Mj). It means as soon as you know Mi and
r/learnmath
Mj, you know multiplication Log Inthe same
by M is equivalent to exactly one transformation L which satisfies
property, called being linear: L(u+v) = L(u) + L(v). Rotation R is a linear transformation, so it can be
described by multiplying by a matrix. But it’s interesting to point out that obviously there are loads of
different transformations that might have T(i) = R(i) and T(j) = R(j) without being R. Any such
transformation T just can’t be linear. It is R being linear that makes all of its other points known.

There is more to be said about why matrix multiplication was chosen to be the way it is. Matrices were
invented quite recently as a tool for solving systems of linear equations. Matrix multiplication is
designed exactly to make the following things equivalent, for example.

2x + 3y = 4
5x + 6y = 7

and

(2, 3; 5, 6) (x; y) = (4; 7)

2 Reply

fuhqueue • 7mo ago

That’s just the way matrices of linear maps are defined. The are constructed so that column k of the
matrix is the vector the k-th basis vector is transformed into.

2 Reply

testtest26 • 7mo ago

Note: The explanations may be easier to follow if you make a small sketch of them.

The goal is a function "R" that rotates every vector "v = (x; y)T in R2 " by 90° counter-clockwise. To
simplify matters, notice we can represent "v" as the sum

v = v1*(1; 0)^T + v2*(0; 1)^T =: v1*e1 + v2*e2 // ek: k'th unit vector

To rotate "v" by 90° is the same as rotating both components "vk*ek" by 90°. Luckily, you already
mentioned you know "R(e1) = e2", and "R(e2) = -e1" when rotated by 90°. Thus, the rotated vector is

R(v) = v1*e2 + v2*(-e1) = [0 -1] . [v1] =: Rotz(pi/2) . v

[1 0] [v2]

Note "R(v)" can be represented by exactly the rotation matrix you expected!

1 Reply

testtest26 • 7mo ago

Rem.: To visualize the idea, I second the video recommendation of 3b1b's series by u/hpxvzhjfgb.

1 Reply

3 of 8 2/27/25, 22:09
Why does this method for 'generating' rotation matrices fo... https://www.reddit.com/r/learnmath/comments/1en4du6/...

r/learnmath Log In
officialsquarespace • Promoted

PSA, Redditors: You don't need a business to have a website. All

you need is yourself. And with Squarespace, you can easily create
a website that reflects your personal brand, individuality, and
identity–all by using its intuitive design, AI, and expressibility tools.

Sign Up squarespace.com

MonsterkillWow • 7mo ago

Matrices represent linear transformations. Linear transformations are completely determined by where
they send basis vectors. The columns of matrices are the images of the basis vectors.

1 Reply

yrk15 OP • 7mo ago

I don't think I've done basis vectors yet. I looked it up and I know I haven't done it. That'll probably
be in my next unit or something. We are only looking at points, lines, curves and shapes. Do you
why this technique works for a standard point? Or is it just that, basis vectors are the reason why it
works and I'll just have to wait and see.

2 Reply

1 more reply

marshaharsha • 7mo ago • Edited 7mo ago

It might help if you drew some parallelograms or triangles on graph paper to represent both scaling
and summing of (1,0) and (0,1). (Those two simple vectors are called the standard basis vectors in the
plane, and they are often written as e_1 and e_2. It is also possible to use nonstandard basis vectors,
but I will ignore that fact.) By scaling and summing e_1 and e_2, you can get any vector in the plane.
Then convince yourself that any rotation (not just rotation by a multiple of 90 degrees) is transparent to
scaling and summing. By that I mean that you can scale a vector and then rotate the result, or you can
rotate the original vector and then scale the result, and either way you end up with the same vector.
Similarly, you can add two vectors and then rotate the result, or you can rotate both input vectors and
then add the results, and either way you end up at the same vector. Transparency works for all the
combinations of scaling and summing, too, but that’s too tedious for me to write down in words;
instead, I will use symbols. Algebraically this is written as follows for a rotation function r: r( a e_1 + b
e_2 ) = a r(e_1) + b r(e_2). a and b can be any scalars, including zero or one, and choosing zero or
one appropriately gives you the special cases of scaling-only and adding-only that I described in
words.

Aside: This transparency works for any vectors, not just the standard basis vectors, but I only need the
standard basis vectors here.

Those ideas of scaling, adding, and transparency to scaling and adding are fundamental to linear
algebra. The proper name for a “transparent” function is a linear mapping. Using this idea of
transparency or linearity, you can derive the idea of a matrix, and then it is easy to show that the
phenomenon you are asking about is not a coincidence. It is just a special case of this fact — well, I

4 of 8 2/27/25, 22:09
Why does this method for 'generating' rotation matrices fo... https://www.reddit.com/r/learnmath/comments/1en4du6/...

phenomenon you are asking about is not a coincidence. It is just a special case of this fact — well, I
want one more bit of terminology:
r/learnmatha linear combination of two vectors means a sum of scalings
Log In of the
two vectors, like the a e_1 + b e_2 that I wrote above. Now I’m ready to state the most important fact
about matrices: writing a linear mapping as matrix multiplication means putting the mapping for the
first basis vector into the first column of the matrix and the mapping for the second basis vector into
the second column of the matrix. Then the rules of matrix multiplication mean the same thing as
linearity or transparency: the mapping of a linear combination of basis vectors is the same linear
combination of the mappings of the basis vectors. So you can combine and then map, or you can map
and then combine, and either way you end up at the same vector. Once you understand that, matrices
and linear algebra will be much clearer.

Added later: There are many kinds of linear mappings that are not rotations. One of the goals of linear
algebra is to classify linear mappings.

1 Reply

New to Reddit?
Create your account and connect with a world of communities.

Continue With Google

Continue with Email

Continue With Phone Number

By continuing, you agree to our User Agreement and acknowledge that you understand the Privacy Policy.

r/askmath • 9 mo. ago

How to use rotation matrix with reflection in a line (y=mx).

1 upvote · 3 comments

r/learnmath • 9 days ago

People who do math as a hobby, why? What do you do with it?

53 upvotes · 80 comments

r/learnmath • 18 days ago

Math helps me relax

118 upvotes · 17 comments

r/askmath • 2 yr. ago

What is 'Rotation'?
3 upvotes · 3 comments

5 of 8 2/27/25, 22:09
Why does this method for 'generating' rotation matrices fo... https://www.reddit.com/r/learnmath/comments/1en4du6/...

r/askmath • 1 yr. ago

r/learnmath
[Linear Algebra] understand logic behind the answer for Rotation transformation Log In

2 upvotes · 5 comments

r/learnmath • 11 days ago

being a mathematician
22 upvotes · 30 comments

r/learnmath • 6 yr. ago

Matrices: Rotation/Transformations.
4 upvotes · 17 comments

r/learnmath • 8 mo. ago

How do you check where complicated trigonometric functions intersect?

2 upvotes · 2 comments

r/askmath • 1 yr. ago

Describe the set of matrices that commute with a rotation matrix

12 upvotes · 9 comments

r/maths • 4 mo. ago

Can someone explain this..

1.6K upvotes · 49 comments

r/learnmath • 9 mo. ago

When and why do we use the hyperbolic trigonometric functions instead of the
circular functions? wikipedia

5 upvotes · 6 comments

r/askmath • 6 yr. ago

2x2 Matrix Rotation

1 upvote · 1 comment

r/askmath • 7 mo. ago

how do i find the critical points in multivar calc when the constraint is given by some shape?
(using Lagrange multipliers)
1 upvote · 3 comments

r/learnmath • 27 days ago

6 of 8 2/27/25, 22:09
Why does this method for 'generating' rotation matrices fo... https://www.reddit.com/r/learnmath/comments/1en4du6/...

The worst part about math.

r/learnmath Log In
120 upvotes · 28 comments

r/learnmath • 2 mo. ago

I don't truly understand maths

34 upvotes · 33 comments

r/learnmath • 18 days ago

Math problem
5 upvotes · 3 comments

r/askscience • 8 yr. ago

Why does the eigenvalue of the two-dimensional rotation matrix give you Euler's formula?
5 upvotes · 2 comments

r/learnmath • 25 days ago

Learning Maths in your 40s?

79 upvotes · 19 comments

r/learnmath • 2 mo. ago

I want to master math

70 upvotes · 31 comments

r/learnmath • 2 mo. ago

I am 25 years old and I don't know maths :(

72 upvotes · 52 comments

r/learnmath • 4 mo. ago

What exactly do matrices represent?

80 upvotes · 34 comments

r/math • 2 yr. ago

Rotation representation of a matrix

13 comments

r/learnmath • 2 mo. ago

Math is finally starting to click after over a decade of struggle. Feels pretty good.
65 upvotes · 7 comments

r/learnmath • 15 days ago

I'm a math major, and I have no idea what's going on.

7 of 8 2/27/25, 22:09
Why does this method for 'generating' rotation matrices fo... https://www.reddit.com/r/learnmath/comments/1en4du6/...

I'm a math major, and I have no idea what's going on.

95 upvotes · 42 comments r/learnmath Log In

r/askmath • 2 yr. ago

Rotation matrix is sometimes the wrong way round?

4

2 upvotes · 4 comments

Reddit Rules Privacy Policy User Agreement Reddit, Inc. © 2025. All rights reserved.

8 of 8 2/27/25, 22:09