pinhole

Everyday

1. A pinhole is a very small hole, like one made by a pin. tree →
2. A pinhole camera is a simple camera made from a box with a tiny hole, and no lens, that makes an upside-down picture inside. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons about light, pupils make a pinhole camera from a box or tube with tracing paper at the back: light travels in straight lines through the pinhole, so the picture appears upside down. During a solar eclipse, people use a pinhole viewer to look at the sun safely, never looking straight at it. Phrases: «pinhole camera», «pinhole viewer».

Examples

• We made a pinhole camera from a shoebox. tree →
• The picture in the pinhole camera was upside down. tree →
• Light shone through a pinhole in the curtain. tree →
• Use a pinhole viewer to watch the eclipse safely. tree →
• A pinhole in the tyre let the air out slowly. tree →
• Light travels in straight lines through the pinhole. tree →

Note

Countable; one word. Safety: never look at the sun directly, not even through a pinhole; a pinhole viewer projects the image onto paper. The picture is upside down because light rays cross at the hole.