How Astronomers Know — Evidence Lab
Shadow Tracker
- Estimated time
- ~12 min
Saved locally on this device
Learning goals
- The Sun's height in the sky changes through the day, and the length of a shadow changes with it in a predictable pattern.
- 5-ESS1-2 — Students analyze daily patterns in shadow, day/night and sky.
Help & glossary
- Use the hint ladder before checking your answer — hints get more specific.
- Incorrect answers can be retried. Feedback explains why.
- Constructed responses (CER) are self-checked — nothing is sent to a server.
Question 1 of 2
Look at the table of shadow lengths measured through one day. At which time is the shadow shortest?
A student measured her shadow every 2 hours on a sunny day and wrote the length in centimeters.
| Time | Shadow length (cm) |
|---|---|
| 8:00 | 60 |
| 10:00 | 25 |
| 12:00 | 10 |
| 14:00 | 25 |
| 16:00 | 60 |
Table of shadow lengths through the day: 8:00 = 60 cm, 10:00 = 25 cm, 12:00 = 10 cm, 14:00 = 25 cm, 16:00 = 60 cm.
Sources
- Sun and Shadow Patterns — NASA/JPL Education — NASA/JPL · NASA/JPL-Caltech · Accessed 2026-09-01