LIGHT AND SHADOW

➢ We can see different colors because of light.

➢ Colors of Rainbow: VIBGYOR
Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red
➢ The star that brings light to our earth is the Sun.
➢ We need light to see things. We cannot see in the dark.

There are certain insects which give off light. They are often called
glow worms.
SHADOW
• A shadow is a dark patch formed when an object does not let
light pass through it.
• A shadow can form on the ground, a wall or on any other
object.
• A shadow is always formed on the opposite side of the source
of light.
• Light helps us to see things.
• Light travels in straight line.
• We cannot see objects in the dark.
• A shadow can be formed on another object.
• A shadow formed on the opposite side of light.
• A shadow formed when light cannot pass through an object.
• Shadow is formed when light is blocked by an opaque object.
 - Shadows have different lengths at different times of the day.
- Shadows in the morning and evening are long, while shadows
at noon are the shorter.

- Things that give out light are called sources of light.

- There are many sources of lights.
- A candle, a flashlight, lamps of a car, a bulb, street lights, stars
in the sky, matchstick, and a bonfire are all sources of light.
- The sun is the most powerful source of light. The earth would
have been totally dark without the light from the sun.
- A natural source of light refers to alight produced naturally
without any involvement of humans.
- Examples of natural source of light are, sun, stars, jellyfish,
fireflies, glowworms, etc.
Where is your shadow formed when you stand behind a street
light?
The shadow will be formed in the left side. Because shadow formed
in opposite side of light.

• The sun gives us light.

• The sun helps us see the world around us during the day.
• Shadow is the dark patch seen on the ground, a wall or any
other object when a thing does not let light pass through it.
 • Shadow in the morning and evening are long, while shadows
at noon are the shortest.
What happens to the shadow if the light source is moved closer or
farther away from the object?
It changes.
➢ Shadows are bigger when the source is far away.
➢ Shadows are shorter when the source is closer.
A batman wants to create a larger shadow of his bat sign.
However, he doesn’t know how to make the shadow larger. Can
you help him?
Shadows are bigger when the light source is far away. Batman can
create larger shadow of his bat sign by keeping the light source far
away.

Why does the sun seem to move across the sky?

The sun doesn't move. The earth rotates on its axis, which changes
the position of sun because the observer's position is changed.
Shadows exist in space, too. MESSENGER is a NASA spacecraft on
its way to study Mercury. Mercury is the closest planet to the sun.
The scientists who built MESSENGER wanted to make sure it
wouldn't get too hot.

How the shadows change as the Earth moves?

As Earth rotates in and out of daylight, an object's shadow changes in
length and direction over the course of a day. From Earth's surface,
the Sun appears to move across the sky from east to west. As the
position of the Sun in the sky changes, the direction of incoming rays
affects the shadow that an object cast.
Transparent materials or objects
Those materials which allow all the light to pass through them are
called transparent material.
For example: glass, polythene, air, water, oil.
➢ The window panes in our homes are usually made of
transparent glass.
➢ Our spectacles glasses are also transparent.
➢ The glass tumbler in our kitchen are also transparent objects.
➢ The test tube, flasks and beakers in Science laboratory are
transparent.
➢ A car windscreen is transparent.
➢ If we are able to see through an object clearly, it is allowing all
the light to pass through it and hence it is a transparent object.
Translucent Material
Those material which allow only some of the light to pass through
them are called translucent materials.
For example: ground-glass, butter paper, oil paper, tissue paper,
sheet of white cotton, muddy water, clouds etc.
The translucent objects absorb or reflect a good part of light falling
on them and allow only some of the light to pass through them.
Opaque Objects
Those materials which do not allow any light to pass through them
are called opaque materials.
For example: cardboard, book, door, metal sheet, brick wall, stones
etc.
The Opaque objects do not allow light to pass through them because
they absorb or reflect all the light falling on them.
If you were building a house in Alaska (where it can be daylight
for months!), what type of material would be best to cover your
windows with that would help keep the Sun out of your room so
you can sleep?
Alaska is located in the north-western part of Canada. Alaska is the
largest state of the United States by area.

opaque

1. Does the light pass through each object?

Light passes through only transparent objects. Translucent
objects allow light partially and opaque objects block the light.

2. Do the shadows have color?

Not all shadows are black. Shadows often appear to be a
different color than the area around them. For example,
outdoors on a sunny day, shadows can appear to be tinted blue.

3. Do some of the objects let more light to pass through than

others? How can you tell?
Transparent materials let most light pass through them without
noticeably scattering or absorbing it.

4. Do some objects block the light from passing through? How

can you tell?
Light cannot pass through opaque objects. The Opaque objects
do not allow light to pass through them because they absorb or
reflect all the light falling on them.

5. Are the shadows the same or different?

Changing shapes and sizes. A shape of an object always
determines the shape of its shadow. However, the size and shape
of the shadow can change. These changes are caused by the
position of the light source.
6. Are the shadows dark with definite edges or are they fuzzy?
A shadows edge will be fuzzy if the light is emitted from a large
area. A shadow formed by a point light source such as a
flashlight is uniformly dark and has sharp, well-defined edges.

7. Why do we not see our shadow in a dark room?

We cannot see our shadow in a dark room because, in dark room
there is no light source. We cannot see a shadow when there is
no light.

8. Can you change the appearance of the shadow? How?

Yes. The appearance of the shadow depends upon the direction
of the light source and also on the distance of the light source.

9. Which is the best material for shadow puppet? Why?

Cardboard or any other opaque materials will be perfect for
shadow puppet. Opaque materials do not let the light pass
through. A shadow is formed when a light source is blocked by
an object.

• We cannot see shadow when there is no light.

• Shadow is dark in color.
• Shadow change in length (Size) and direction.
• The length and direction of shadow depend upon the position
of the sun in the sky.
• There were no watches in earlier days. People could tell the
time by looking at the position of shadow made by the sun.
• The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
• The moon does not have light of its own. The light of the sun
falls on the Moon and makes it shine.
• The length of the shadow of an object depends the direction of
the light source and also on the distance of the light source.
Amelia has a new pet hamster. Her hamster is nocturnal so sleeps
all day but is finding it difficult because it is too bright. Amelia
wants to find some material that she can make a curtain out of to
wrap around her hamster’s cage, so it is dark enough for it to
sleep. She needs you to find out which material is the best to use.
Remember: you need to find the material that blocks the light the
best, as this will keep the hamster’s cage dark enough for it to
sleep during the day.

Amelia can use a cardboard to wrap around the cage. Cardboard is

an opaque material which does not pass through the light.