Shadows
Learning Objectives
- Students will be able to explain shadow formation using straight-line light propagation
- Students will be able to distinguish between umbra and penumbra
- Students will be able to predict shadow formation and size
Core Concepts
- umbra
- penumbra
- point_source
- extended_source
- light_blocking
Formulas
Shadow size ∝ Object size × (Distance to light) / Distance to surface
Geometric relationship for shadow formation
Interesting Fact
The size of a shadow depends on the angle and distance of the light source; shadows are longest at sunrise/sunset
Key Scientist
Johannes Kepler
Studied shadow geometry and light propagation in detail
Modern Research
Shadow analysis is used in computer vision and image processing to extract depth and shape information from photos.
Want to truly master this? Try the interactive lesson!
Start Lesson