Why do shadows stretch and shrink based on the light?

Examples

1. A person standing near a lamp casts a long shadow when it's dark, but the shadow shortens as the light gets brighter.
2. A tree's shadow is longer in the morning and shorter at noon.
3. A child holds up a flashlight, and their shadow on the wall grows bigger as they move closer to the wall.

See also

• Why Is the Shape of a Shadow So Strange?
• What are uniform shadows?
• Why Is The Shape Of A Shadow Always A Circle?
• Why Do We See Different Colors in Rainbows?
• How Does Formation of Shadows ( Umbra Prenumbra Antumbra ) Work?

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