Paper 3, Section I, D
Part IA, 2009
Show that every orthogonal matrix is the product of at most two reflections in lines through the origin.
Every isometry of the Euclidean plane can be written as the composition of an orthogonal matrix and a translation. Deduce from this that every isometry of the Euclidean plane is a product of reflections.
Give an example of an isometry of that is not the product of fewer than three reflections. Justify your answer.