How a Shadow Gets Its Shape

In the picture

1. 1The torch beam: light going out in straight lines
2. 2The cardboard star: an opaque object that blocks the light
3. 3The shadow on the wall: dark where no light arrives, with the same star shape

Examples

• Your hand in front of a lamp makes a hand-shaped shadow on the wall.
• A tree on a sunny day casts a tree-shaped shadow on the grass.

Quiz: How a Shadow Gets Its Shape (Age 10)

1. 1

   How does light travel?

   • In straight lines
   • In curves that bend around things in its way
   • Downwards, like falling rain
2. 2

   Why does a dark shadow appear behind a solid object when a torch shines on it?

   • The object sends out darkness behind it
   • Light cannot bend around the object, so the object blocks it
   • The light goes through the object and turns dark
3. 3

   You hold a round piece of cardboard in front of a torch. What shape is its shadow on the wall?

   • A blurry patch with no real shape
   • A square, because shadows always have straight edges
   • A circle, the same shape as the cardboard

The answers, each with its explanation, are in the app. This quiz is free there while the lesson is in the free week.