Question

A boy plays with an opaque cone by moving it closer to and further from a torch (as shown below), and observes the different kinds of shadows it forms. Help him understand the factors that are responsible for the sizes of the shadows.
(More than one option can be correct)

• A. The colour of the object
• B. The distance between the object and the source of light
• C. The angle at which the light rays fall on the object
• D. The size of the opaque object

Answer 1

Answer: (B), (C), (D)

The size of the opaque object

• The size of the shadow depends on the distance between the object and the source of light, and the angle at which the light rays fall on the object.
• If the source of light is closer to the object, a larger shadow is formed and vice versa.
• If the angle of incident light is smaller, the shadow will be longer, and if the angle of incident light is bigger, the shadow will be shorter.