What property of light is responsible for the
existence of shadows?
What are the necessary conditions and ingredients for producing shadows?
(Make a diagram, too.)
Compare the appearance of various shadows as made by direct sunlight, a
very cloudy day, and different kinds of lights indoors.
Does a shadow have a color?
How is the shape and size of a shadow related to the light that is involved?
What effect does the color of the light have?
The same object can have shadows of many shapes. Can you make an
object that has a square shadow, a triangular shadow, and a circular
shadow, when held different ways?
In the section Exploring Shadows we asked
some questions about shadows. The right answer to any scientific
question is "whatever happens in the laboratory" -- so you could
and probably should
investigate those questions by setting up the experiments indicated.
There are many things you can learn by studying the lamppost shadow
pictures:
What would this picture look like if the sun were higher in the sky?
The objects would still be the same height. But what about their
shadows? Longer, shorter or the same? Would the yellow lines
still be parallel?
What was the angle of elevation of the sun at the time this picture
was taken?
Shadows point in different directions throughout the day depending
on where the sun is. This picture was taken in Kentucky in January
at about 11AM. If Sally (in the red coat next to lamppost)
is facing roughly southwest in this picture, what direction will her shadow
move as the day progresses?
