Why Is The Shape Of A Shadow Always A Circle?

Shadows are like cookie cutters for light. Imagine the sun is a giant lamp shining down on you, when it shines straight, your shadow stretches out and becomes long. But if something blocks that light in a round way, like a ball or a moon, your shadow always looks round because it’s just copying the shape of the thing blocking the light. It's like drawing with a circle stamp every time.

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Examples

  1. A round lamp casts a round shadow on the floor like a cookie cutter stamping the ground.
  2. If you stand near a round window, your shadow gets circular, it's just copying the shape of the light.
  3. A circle-shaped flashlight shines on a wall and turns your shadow into a perfect circle as if it were drawn with a compass.

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Categories: Math · geometry· shadow· light· mathematics· circles