Graphing shadow patterns

Science · Space Systems & Earth's History · ages 10-11

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Look at the graph. At which time was the shadow longest?
- 9 AM
- 12 PM
- 3 PM
What two things do you need to record when measuring a shadow?
- Length and direction
- Color and shape
- Height and weight
Shadows change direction during the day because the sun's position in the sky appears to change.
Circle one: True False
The graph shows shadow lengths of 6 ft at 8 AM and 2 ft at noon. How many feet shorter is the noon shadow than the morning one?
Answer: ______________
Maya measured her shadow at 8 AM and it was 5 feet long. At noon it was 1 foot. What most likely happened between those times?
- Maya grew shorter
- The ground tilted
- The sun rose higher in the sky
If you graph shadow length all day, the shortest point on the graph tells you when the sun was lowest in the sky.
Circle one: True False
A class measured a flagpole's shadow: 10 ft at 9 AM, 4 ft at noon, and 9 ft at 3 PM. If they graph these three points, what is the shortest shadow length they would plot?
Answer: ______________
Ravi graphed his shadow's direction each hour and it always pointed the exact same way all day. What is most likely wrong with his data?
- His ruler was too short
- He measured direction incorrectly, since direction should change as the sun moves
- Shadows never change direction

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

9 AM · The tallest bar is at 9 AM, so that's when the shadow stretched out the most.
Length and direction · You record both how long the shadow is and which way it points, since both change during the day.
True · As Earth rotates, the sun's position in the sky shifts, so shadows swing around and change direction.
4 · 6 feet minus 2 feet leaves a difference of 4 feet.
The sun rose higher in the sky · As the sun climbs higher, shadows shrink because the light hits more from above.
False · The shortest shadow happens when the sun is highest, not lowest, in the sky.
4 · Looking at all three measurements, 4 feet at noon is the smallest value, so that's the lowest point on the graph.
He measured direction incorrectly, since direction should change as the sun moves · As Earth rotates, the sun's apparent position moves, so a shadow's direction should swing through the day. A constant direction points to a measuring or recording mistake.