A full turn brings you back to facing the same way. A half turn faces you the opposite way. A quarter turn is a square corner of turn. Clockwise is the way a clock's hands move; anticlockwise is the other way. Count quarter turns one at a time from what you face now. In degrees, a quarter turn is 90°, a half turn 180°, a three-quarter turn 270° and a full turn 360°.
Explore this idea with maths tools
Maths you can move
Build 8 + 5
Tap two gold counters to fill the ten-frame.
8 in the frame + 5 waiting. The total stays the same.
Words to know
- clockwise
- the way the hands of a clock turn
- quarter turn
- a turn through a right angle, 90°
- anticlockwise
- the opposite way to a clock's hands
Worked examples
Facing the tree (top), with the house on the right, make a quarter turn clockwise. What do you face?
- 1.Clockwise from the top goes to the right.
- 2.One quarter turn: the house.
= house
Facing the tree (top), turn 270° anticlockwise. The pond is at the bottom and the swing on the left. What do you face?
- 1.270° is three quarter turns.
- 2.Anticlockwise from the top: swing, then pond, then the right-hand place, the house.
= house
Facing the tree (top), you turn clockwise until you face the pond (bottom). How many degrees did you turn?
- 1.Clockwise: house, then pond. That is 2 quarter turns.
- 2.2 × 90 = 180.
= 180
For parents
Method: Stand in the middle of a room, face a wall and turn together, saying each quarter turn.
What to say: What are you facing now? Which way does a clock go? Count each quarter turn as you make it.
Common mistakes:
- Turns anticlockwise instead of clockwise (or the other way round).
- Counts the thing already being faced as the first quarter turn, so turns one quarter too little (or counts one quarter too many when measuring).
- Gives the number of quarter turns instead of the size of the turn in degrees.