ScienceAges 10-12

Light, reflection & shadows

Explore how light travels in straight lines, reflects from mirrors and forms shadows behind opaque objects. Review suitability for your learners before teaching.

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Age band:Ages 7-9 Ages 10-12

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Worksheet StudioPractice pack · Ages 10-12

Light, reflection & shadows

Take your time. Show your thinking.

1. What optical instrument uses two mirrors angled at 45° inside a tube to let an observer see over obstacles: a periscope or a stethoscope?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r
2. What is the imaginary line drawn at 90° (perpendicular) to a mirror surface at the point where a light ray strikes called: the normal or the tangent?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r
3. Why can sound NOT travel through the vacuum of outer space whereas light can: sound is a mechanical wave that needs vibrating particles, or space is too cold?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r
4. What type of lens is thicker in the middle than at the edges and brings parallel light rays together to a focal point: a convex (converging) lens or a concave lens?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r
5. Which of these is a luminous object (emits its own light): the Sun or the Moon?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r
6. What happens when a beam of white sunlight passes through a triangular glass prism: dispersion splits it into a spectrum of colours, or it turns into sound?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r
7. According to the law of reflection on a flat plane mirror, how does the angle of reflection compare to the angle of incidence: they are equal, or the angle of reflection is twice as large?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r
8. Which light-sensitive layer at the back of the human eye detects focused light and sends signals to the brain via the optic nerve: the retina or the earlobe?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r
9. What astronomical event occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on Earth: a solar eclipse or a lunar eclipse?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r
10. What happens to the size of an object’s shadow on a wall when the object is moved closer to the small light source: the shadow gets larger, or the shadow disappears?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r
11. What do we call the bending of a light ray when it passes at an angle from air into water or glass (due to a change in speed): refraction or absorption?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r
12. Why does a red apple appear red in white daylight: it reflects red light and absorbs other colours, or it absorbs only red light?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r

12 questions · Seed 104733 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

View the answer key

Worksheet StudioAnswer key · Ages 10-12

Light, reflection & shadows

Answers and reasoning. Review before teaching.

1. What optical instrument uses two mirrors angled at 45° inside a tube to let an observer see over obstacles: a periscope or a stethoscope?
Periscope
A periscope reflects light twice through 90° using two parallel 45° mirrors.
2. What is the imaginary line drawn at 90° (perpendicular) to a mirror surface at the point where a light ray strikes called: the normal or the tangent?
The normal
Angles of incidence and reflection are always measured relative to the normal (90° to the surface).
3. Why can sound NOT travel through the vacuum of outer space whereas light can: sound is a mechanical wave that needs vibrating particles, or space is too cold?
Sound is a mechanical wave that needs vibrating particles
Sound waves require a medium (solid, liquid or gas) to transmit vibrations.
4. What type of lens is thicker in the middle than at the edges and brings parallel light rays together to a focal point: a convex (converging) lens or a concave lens?
Convex (converging) lens
A convex lens converges parallel rays to a focus and is used in magnifying glasses.
5. Which of these is a luminous object (emits its own light): the Sun or the Moon?
The Sun
The Sun generates and emits light; the Moon is non-luminous and only reflects sunlight.
6. What happens when a beam of white sunlight passes through a triangular glass prism: dispersion splits it into a spectrum of colours, or it turns into sound?
Dispersion splits it into a spectrum of colours
Different wavelengths of light refract by slightly different angles, dispersing white light into a rainbow spectrum.
7. According to the law of reflection on a flat plane mirror, how does the angle of reflection compare to the angle of incidence: they are equal, or the angle of reflection is twice as large?
They are equal
The angle of incidence always equals the angle of reflection (measured from the normal).
8. Which light-sensitive layer at the back of the human eye detects focused light and sends signals to the brain via the optic nerve: the retina or the earlobe?
Retina
Photoreceptor cells (rods and cones) in the retina convert light into nerve impulses.
9. What astronomical event occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on Earth: a solar eclipse or a lunar eclipse?
Solar eclipse
During a solar eclipse, the Moon blocks sunlight from reaching part of Earth.
10. What happens to the size of an object’s shadow on a wall when the object is moved closer to the small light source: the shadow gets larger, or the shadow disappears?
The shadow gets larger
Closer to the light source, the object blocks a wider cone of diverging light rays.
11. What do we call the bending of a light ray when it passes at an angle from air into water or glass (due to a change in speed): refraction or absorption?
Refraction
Light slows down in denser media like water or glass, causing the ray to bend (refract).
12. Why does a red apple appear red in white daylight: it reflects red light and absorbs other colours, or it absorbs only red light?
It reflects red light and absorbs other colours
Pigments in the apple skin reflect red wavelengths to our eyes and absorb the rest of the spectrum.

12 questions · Seed 104733 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

Worksheet StudioPractice pack · Ages 10-12

Light, reflection & shadows

Take your time. Show your thinking.

1. What optical instrument uses two mirrors angled at 45° inside a tube to let an observer see over obstacles: a periscope or a stethoscope?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r
2. What is the imaginary line drawn at 90° (perpendicular) to a mirror surface at the point where a light ray strikes called: the normal or the tangent?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r
3. Why can sound NOT travel through the vacuum of outer space whereas light can: sound is a mechanical wave that needs vibrating particles, or space is too cold?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r
4. What type of lens is thicker in the middle than at the edges and brings parallel light rays together to a focal point: a convex (converging) lens or a concave lens?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r
5. Which of these is a luminous object (emits its own light): the Sun or the Moon?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r
6. What happens when a beam of white sunlight passes through a triangular glass prism: dispersion splits it into a spectrum of colours, or it turns into sound?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r
7. According to the law of reflection on a flat plane mirror, how does the angle of reflection compare to the angle of incidence: they are equal, or the angle of reflection is twice as large?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r
8. Which light-sensitive layer at the back of the human eye detects focused light and sends signals to the brain via the optic nerve: the retina or the earlobe?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r
9. What astronomical event occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on Earth: a solar eclipse or a lunar eclipse?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r
10. What happens to the size of an object’s shadow on a wall when the object is moved closer to the small light source: the shadow gets larger, or the shadow disappears?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r
11. What do we call the bending of a light ray when it passes at an angle from air into water or glass (due to a change in speed): refraction or absorption?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r
12. Why does a red apple appear red in white daylight: it reflects red light and absorbs other colours, or it absorbs only red light?
Light Ray (Straight Line) · Angle i = Angle r

12 questions · Seed 104733 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

Worksheet StudioAnswer key · Ages 10-12

Light, reflection & shadows

Answers and reasoning. Review before teaching.

1. What optical instrument uses two mirrors angled at 45° inside a tube to let an observer see over obstacles: a periscope or a stethoscope?
Periscope
A periscope reflects light twice through 90° using two parallel 45° mirrors.
2. What is the imaginary line drawn at 90° (perpendicular) to a mirror surface at the point where a light ray strikes called: the normal or the tangent?
The normal
Angles of incidence and reflection are always measured relative to the normal (90° to the surface).
3. Why can sound NOT travel through the vacuum of outer space whereas light can: sound is a mechanical wave that needs vibrating particles, or space is too cold?
Sound is a mechanical wave that needs vibrating particles
Sound waves require a medium (solid, liquid or gas) to transmit vibrations.
4. What type of lens is thicker in the middle than at the edges and brings parallel light rays together to a focal point: a convex (converging) lens or a concave lens?
Convex (converging) lens
A convex lens converges parallel rays to a focus and is used in magnifying glasses.
5. Which of these is a luminous object (emits its own light): the Sun or the Moon?
The Sun
The Sun generates and emits light; the Moon is non-luminous and only reflects sunlight.
6. What happens when a beam of white sunlight passes through a triangular glass prism: dispersion splits it into a spectrum of colours, or it turns into sound?
Dispersion splits it into a spectrum of colours
Different wavelengths of light refract by slightly different angles, dispersing white light into a rainbow spectrum.
7. According to the law of reflection on a flat plane mirror, how does the angle of reflection compare to the angle of incidence: they are equal, or the angle of reflection is twice as large?
They are equal
The angle of incidence always equals the angle of reflection (measured from the normal).
8. Which light-sensitive layer at the back of the human eye detects focused light and sends signals to the brain via the optic nerve: the retina or the earlobe?
Retina
Photoreceptor cells (rods and cones) in the retina convert light into nerve impulses.
9. What astronomical event occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on Earth: a solar eclipse or a lunar eclipse?
Solar eclipse
During a solar eclipse, the Moon blocks sunlight from reaching part of Earth.
10. What happens to the size of an object’s shadow on a wall when the object is moved closer to the small light source: the shadow gets larger, or the shadow disappears?
The shadow gets larger
Closer to the light source, the object blocks a wider cone of diverging light rays.
11. What do we call the bending of a light ray when it passes at an angle from air into water or glass (due to a change in speed): refraction or absorption?
Refraction
Light slows down in denser media like water or glass, causing the ray to bend (refract).
12. Why does a red apple appear red in white daylight: it reflects red light and absorbs other colours, or it absorbs only red light?
It reflects red light and absorbs other colours
Pigments in the apple skin reflect red wavelengths to our eyes and absorb the rest of the spectrum.

12 questions · Seed 104733 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification