Coordinates and moving shapes · Usually met around P4
Grid references
Letter (column) first, then number (row).
How to do it
Method
Letter (column) first, then number (row)
B3: up column B, across row 3
Another way
Two fingers
One finger up B, one across 3: where they meet
In full
A square on a grid is named by a letter and a number, like B3: the letter is the column (along the bottom, left to right: A, B, C, …) and the number is the row (up the side, bottom to top: 1, 2, 3, …). To find B3, look up from B along the bottom and across from 3 up the side: the square where they meet is B3. Say the letter first, then the number. From one square to another, the letters apart tell you how far across, the numbers apart how far up or down. Or use two fingers: one up column B, one across row 3 — where they meet is the square.
Worked examples
Have a go first, then open each one for the answer and the working.
Example 1
Which square is the ⚽ in?
- A. D3
- B. B3
- C. D1
- D. B1
Choose the right answer
Show the answer and working
Answer: C. D1
Look down from the ⚽ to the letter and across to the number: the letter first, then the number.
Example 2
What is in square C5?
- A. 🍌
- B. 🖍️
- C. 🍓
- D. 🌳
Choose the right answer
Show the answer and working
Answer: B. 🖍️
C5: up from C along the bottom, across from 5 up the side; where they meet is the 🖍️.
Example 3
The 🐵 is in B2 and the 🍌 is in E3. The 🐵 moves one square at a time, left, right, up or down. What is the fewest squares it must move to reach the 🍌?
Show the answer and working
Answer: 4 squares
B to E is 3 squares across; row 2 to row 3 is 1 more: 4 in all.
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