What is the result of applying a reflection followed by a rotation?

The correct answer is that the orientation may change depending on the transformations because both reflection and rotation are types of transformations that can change the appearance and orientation of a figure in a plane.

When a reflection is applied to a figure, it essentially flips the figure over a line of reflection, altering its orientation temporarily. This means that the figure changes its alignment relative to the original positioning. Following this reflection with a rotation involves turning the figure around a point by a certain angle. The combination of these two transformations can lead to a new orientation that differs from the original, as the flipped figure rotates to a new position.

The result of these transformations is dependent on their specific details, such as the axis of reflection and the center and angle of rotation. Thus, the overall orientation of the figure can indeed be changed after performing both transformations.

This contrasts with the idea that the position and size of the figure remain unchanged, which is not accurate given that both transformations can alter both. Additionally, the notion that the figure will only rotate or only reflect does not account for the fact that both transformations are being applied consecutively. Hence, the ability of the transformations to affect the orientation is a key aspect to understand in the context of reflections followed by rotations.