Frostbite Theater

Announcer: Frostbite Theater presents... Cold Cuts! No baloney!

Joanna and Steve: Just science!

Joanna: Hi! I'm Joanna!

Steve: And I'm Steve!

Joanna: Here's a question for you...

Steve: A pinhole camera is made from a cardboard box. This is done by cutting a hole in the front of the box, covering the hole with a piece of aluminum foil, and then poking a hole through the foil with a pin. Also, the back of the box had been removed and replaced with wax paper so that the images can be seen from the outside.

Joanna: The word "Hi!" is written on a lightbulb and the light bulb is placed in front of the pinhole camera.

Steve: The room's lights are turned off and the lightbulb is turned on.

Joanna: What will the word "Hi!" look like on the wax paper?

Steve: Will it be right side up and written left to right?

Joanna: Will it be upside down and reversed right to left?

Steve: Will it be right side up and reversed right to left?

Joanna: Or, will it be upside down and written left to right?

Pause the video now if you'd like to think it over before we show you what happens.

Joanna: Imagine you're in a room with a single window on a distant wall. You can't see all of the outside world at one time. You can only see what's in line with you and the window.

Steve: If you want to look up into the sky, you have to get down near the floor.

Joanna: If you want to look at what's to the left, you have to move to the right.

Steve: This is how the pinhole camera works. Only light coming from a particular direction can fall on a particular part of the wax paper.

Joanna: You end up with an image that's upside down and reversed left to right.

Thanks for watching. I hope you'll join us again soon for another question!