PlumoBOX

How shadows form

Move the lamp and the object to observe the rays and the shadow on the wall.

Move the lamp ☀ and the purple object. Rays travel in a straight line: the object blocks the light, which forms a shadow on the wall.

Optical scene: a lamp, an object and a wall.WallOpaque object (draggable)Lamp (draggable)
Object height
5.0 cm
Shadow height
10.7 cm
Lamp-to-object distance
14 cm
Object-to-wall distance
16 cm

Try this: what happens when you move the lamp closer to the object? When you move the object closer to the wall? When you make the object bigger?