Light and Shadows

Light comes from a light source. If that light gets blocked by another object, it creates a
shadow.
Blocking sources of light can create different types of shadows. Now, let’s experiment to see
what kind of blocking sources of light create what type of shadows.
The first object that we are going to use is a plastic clipboard. When I place it in front of my
light source, it doesn’t make much of a shadow. Objects like this that let almost all light
through are called transparent.
Our next object is a plastic lid. Now, the plastic lid might look transparent like the clipboard
before it but you’ll notice that if you put your hand behind it, how much more difficult it is
for you to see your hand through it. Objects like this are called translucent. Translucent
means that some of the light can pass through but not all of it. Translucent objects leave a
shadow like this: you can see the inside of the shadow is a kind of light, some of the light is
passing through but some of it is black. If you hold the plastic lid up to the light, it will dim
the entire surface. If you hold it closer down, you can see the sharp outline of a translucent
object while still letting some of the light through in the middle.
The last object that we are going to use is unit cubes. You can already tell from its shadow
that this object does not let any light pass through. The closer you get to the surface, the
darker your shadow gets but if you put it in front of your light source, it will completely
block out all the light. An object that doesn’t let any light through is called opaque. These
objects make very solid shadows.
In conclusion, our transparent clipboard lets the most light through and barely makes any
shadows. Our translucent plastic lid makes a little bit of shadow but you can still see the light
through it. Our opaque unit cubes make a really dark shadow, blocking all the light out.
We learned that if light traveling from a light source gets blocked, it creates a shadow.
Different objects can create different types of shadows. Transparent means all light passes
through. These objects are almost invisible. Translucent means some light can pass through.
Opaque means no light can pass through. Opaque objects make really good shadows.