Why Does the Shape of a Shadow Change with the Light Source?

Imagine you are standing in a room with one lamp. When the lamp is far away, your shadow looks almost like you, tall and straight. But when you move closer to the lamp, your shadow gets bigger and maybe even stretches out behind you. This happens because light travels in straight lines, and when you get closer to the source of the light, those lines spread out more, making your shadow change shape.

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Examples

  1. Your shadow becomes taller when you walk away from a streetlight.
  2. A tree casts a longer shadow during sunrise than at noon.
  3. A small toy car near a lamp makes a huge shadow on the wall.

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