Pinhole camera

Construction:

1. Take two cardboard boxes such that one can slide into the other with no gap in between them.
2. Cut or open one side of each box.
3. On the opposite face of the larger box , make a small hole in the middle.
4. Cut out a square of side 5-6cm from the middle of the smaller box and cover the square with tracing paper.
5. Slide the smaller box inside the bigger one in such a way that the tracing paper faces inwards.
6. The pinhole camera is ready.

Working:

1. Cover both your head and the camera with a black cloth and look through the open face of the smaller box.
2. Make sure the objects you want to look at are in bright sunshine.
3. Move the box forward and backward until you are able to see the image on the tracing paper.
4. An inverted and coloured image can be seen.

Principle:

The working of a pinhole camera is based on the principle that light always travels in a straight line.

Natural pinhole Camera:

Sometimes on a sunny day when we pass through a tree with a lot of leaves , we are able to notice small patches of sunlight under it.

These circular images are nothing but the images of the sun and the gaps between leaves act as piholes.