Is a snowflake's left side really a perfect mirror of its right?

A snowflake looks the same on both sides, like it was folded down the middle. Lots of things do — butterflies, faces, hearts. But is "symmetric" just a fancy word for "looks balanced," or is it an exact rule you can test? Let's draw some shapes and fold them to find out.

1What symmetry is made of

A fold line, and twins across it

You only need two ideas. Watch each one:

The fold line

An imaginary crease down the middle. Symmetry is about whether a shape would land exactly on itself if you folded it along this line.

Twins across the line

Every point needs a twin. For a shape to fold onto itself, each point on one side must have a matching point the same distance across the line.

2Two ways to build a shape

Copy every bump, or copy none

Say you're drawing a shape with a fold line down the middle. When you add a bump on one side, there are two rules you could follow:

Mirror-both rule

Copy it to the far side

Every bump you draw also pops out on the other side, the same distance across the line.

One-side-only rule

Leave it where you drew it

A bump shows up only where you put it. The far side never copies it.

3Your turn — grow a symmetric shape

Tap the near side and watch the far side fill itself in

Tap anywhere on the teal half. A bump grows where you tap — and the violet half copies it across the fold line for free. You're only drawing half the shape, but you're getting the whole thing.

tap the teal half to add a bump
you draw here fold line the rule fills this in

4Now break the mirror and fold it

Add a bump to ONE side only — then fold the shape in half 📄

This time you get a switch. Turn the mirror off, add a single bump to the teal side, and it will NOT be copied across. Then press fold and watch the far half swing over to meet the near half. Guess first — then fold.

Mirror the bump? OFF

Guess before you fold

You add one bump to the left side but DON'T mirror it to the right. Then you fold the shape down its middle. Will the two halves line up?