Q1.
Do translucent and transparent objects create shadows or not? Did you notice that in Activity 11.3?
Answer
Yes, they do — but their shadows are much weaker than those of opaque objects.
| Type of object | Kind of shadow | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Opaque | Dark, sharp shadow | Cardboard, a cricket ball, your own body |
| Translucent | Lighter, blurred shadow | Tracing paper, butter paper, a thin dupatta |
| Transparent | A very faint shadow, sometimes with a bright edge | A glass tumbler, a clear plastic scale |
Why it happens: The darkness of a shadow depends on how much light is stopped. An opaque object stops all of it, so the patch is fully dark. A translucent object lets a part through, so that patch is only partly dark. A transparent object lets nearly all the light through, yet its edges and curved surfaces still bend and reflect a little light — that is why even a glass tumbler leaves a faint outline on the screen.