Physics
If the sun was half its size, would that effect the shadow formation on earth? How?
Answer
If the Sun were half its size but stayed at the same distance from Earth then the Sun would still be a huge, bright luminous source, so Earth would continue to get sunlight but since its apparent size in the sky would shrink, the way shadows form would change such that shadows would become sharper and more well-defined (less penumbra, more umbra) and during eclipses, the Moon could cover the smaller Sun more easily, making total solar eclipses more common and longer-lasting.
Related Questions
Mona went to Rohini's house on a Sunday morning. She noticed that all the lights in Rohini's house were switched off. She switched on the lights of the house in the evening. Mona also noticed that Rohini switched off the lights and fan every time she left the room.
Now, answer the following questions.
(a) What was the source of light in Rohini's house in the daytime?
(b) What was the source of light in Rohini's house in the evening?
(c) Why do you think she turned off the fans and lights when she left the room every time?
Moon is a non-luminous body. Why do you think it shines?
Do you see shadows at night? How and why?
Shadows are formed when opaque objects block the passage of light. The length of a shadow is different at different times of the day. The size of shadow is dependent on many aspects including the size of sourcе of light, distance between the source of light and object, and distance between the screen and the object.
Jolly is 120 cm tall. She plotted a graph of the length of her shadows at different times of the day.
Observe the graph carefully. Now, answer the following questions.
(a) When is the length of Jolly's shadow the shortest? Why?
(b) When is the length of Jolly's shadow the longest? Why?
(c) What can you conclude from the graph?
(d) Will the shape of the graph differ from individual to individual?