⚡ Light & Shadows

Energy · primary-4 · Medium · Inquiry skills: Predicting, experimenting, measuring

Light travels in straight lines — that is why shadows exist and mirrors work.

📎 Curriculum reference: Singapore Primary Science Teaching & Learning Syllabus (2023) — reference only; original EduManual content. · ✅ Verified by EduManual Science Team

🎯 Main method: Inquiry-Based Learning Visual Learning Guided Practice Active Recall

The same idea, explained at three ages — tap the one that fits you.

📖 Key words

🧱 Opaque · 不透明 · legap

Something light cannot shine through.

A material that light cannot pass through.

👤 Shadow · 影子 · bayang-bayang

The dark shape you make when you stand in the light.

A dark shape made when light is blocked.

🪟 Transparent · 透明 · lutsinar

Something you can see straight through.

A material that light can pass through clearly.

Full A–Z glossary →

🦸 Myth busters for this topic

❌ "We can see things because our eyes send out rays."

✅ We see objects because light from a source reflects off them into our eyes.

Turn off every light in a room and you cannot see anything — your eyes do not shine, they receive light.

Try it yourself: In a fully dark room, nothing is visible. Shine a torch at an object and you see it because the light bounces to your eyes.

❌ "Shadows are caused by dark objects."

✅ Shadows are caused by light being blocked. The object simply stops the light.

A completely transparent object makes almost no shadow — because the light passes through.

Try it yourself: Shine a torch through a clear plastic sheet: almost no shadow. Shine it at cardboard: a dark shadow. The object only blocks light.

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