P3/4 science

Light and Shadows

1. (a) At what time(s) of the day is/are the shadow(s) the longest and why? [1m]

(b) In the space below, draw the shadow of the tree at 9 am. [1m]

(c) In the space below, draw the shadow of the tree at 5 pm. [1m]

(d) State a similarity between the shadows you have drawn for (b) and (c). [1m]

(e) State a difference between the shadows you have drawn for (b) and (c). Explain why the
difference exists. [2m]

sun is in the west of the sky.

formed at 5 pm is in the easterly direction, opposite to where the
opposite to where the sun is in the east of the sky. The shadow
1. (e) The shadow formed at 9 am is in the westerly direction,
1. (d) Both shadows are of the same length.

1. (b) N
below the horizon in the west.
above the horizon in the east and at 5 pm just before the sun sets
N 1. (c) Answers:  1. (a) The shadow is longest at 9 am when the sun has just risen

Taken from Science Process Skills Lower Block 3/4

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 P3/4 science

Light and Shadows

1. When viewed through a mirror, the letter ‘A’ remains unchanged. However, the letter ‘B’ is
laterally inverted and becomes ‘ B ’.

(a) Which letters of the alphabet remain unchanged when viewed through a mirror?
(Consider only capital letters.) [1m]

(b) Look at the following phrase which has been written using mirror writing.

yriuqnI cfiitneicS fo tiripS

What do the words say? [1m]

(c) Can you think of a real-life example on the road where mirror writing is used? [2m]

see the word ‘AMBULANCE’ correctly and give way to the ambulance. (Accept any other reasonable answers.)
ambulance is in mirror writing so that when the driver of a vehicle driving in front of the ambulance looks through his rear-view mirror, he will
Answers:  1. (a) They are A, H, I, M, O, T, U, V, W, X and Y.  1. (b) They say ‘Spirit of Scientific Inquiry’.  1. (c) The word ‘AMBULANCE’ in front of an

Taken from Science Process Skills Lower Block 3/4

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 P3/4 science

Light and Shadows

1. Tommy visits an optician to get his eyes tested. The optician leads Tommy to a small room
where he is asked to read out some letters.
mirror

small room
1
1

E letter chart hung on the wall

E 2
2
P at the back of the small room
P 3
F
FO
3
Z 4 Z
O
1m
4
D T
T D 5
5 E
E 6 D P
P D 6 F L
L C
F P
7
P
Z C
E Z 7 C E
P C D 8 D
F P
F Z 8 C
Z
P D
D P C Z O E
E O Z 9 T
L
T 9 O L
E P
O 01 P P E
T E
F Z
P 10 Z
F
F
E T
D F 11 P F
D D
T
O
D
E F
P 11 E D
O
T
E
E D PF C L
L C Z
T Z FP ET T
O
O TE OD
DO CZ
ZC

3m
Tommy sitting on a chair looking at the
letter chart through the mirror

(a) Why do you think the optician wants Tommy to look at the letter chart through the
mirror rather than directly? [2m]

(b) What is the key difference between the optician’s letter chart and one that Tommy has
to read directly from? [1m]

(c) How far from Tommy’s eyes do the images of the letters in the mirror appear to be?
[1m]

(d) Are the images of the letters in the mirror equal in size to the letters on the actual
chart? [1m]

(e) If Tommy moves back by 1 m from where he is seated as shown in the picture, how far
are his eyes from the images of the letters in the mirror now? [1m]

equal in size to the original object.)  1. (e) They are 5 m from the images of the letters in the mirror now. (3 m + 2 m = 5 m)
1. (c) They appear 4 m away from his eyes. (3 m + 1 m = 4 m)  1. (d) They are equal in size. (The image formed by a plane (flat) mirror is always
optician’s letter chart is written in mirror writing while the one that Tommy has to read directly from is written using ordinary writing. 
Answers:  1. (a) By doing so, the optician is able to test Tommy’s ability to see objects further away than the length of the room they are in.  1. (b) The

Taken from Science Process Skills Lower Block 3/4

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 P3/4 science

Light and Shadows

1. In the picture below, Simon is standing behind Mindy in a lighted room.

fluorescent
lamp
Wall A

Simon
Mindy

(a) What object must be present on wall A to enable Mindy to see Simon without turning
around? [1m]

(b) What property does the object mentioned in (a) possess which enables Mindy to see
Simon without turning around? [1m]

(c) Explain how the object mentioned in (a) enables Mindy to see Simon without turning
around. [2m]

the mirror.
lamp falls on Simon and is reflected into the mirror. The mirror then reflects the light into Mindy’s eyes, enabling her to see Simon’s image in
Answers:  1. (a) It is a mirror.  1. (b) It reflects the light that shines on it back into Mindy’s eyes in a regular manner.  1. (c) Light from the fluorescent

Taken from Science Process Skills Lower Block 3/4

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