Build a simple projector

Make a shoe box projector

Take the lid off the shoebox.
Use scissors to cut a rectangle in one short end of the box, leaving about 2 centimetres as a frame. This will be the 'window' from where the image will be projected.
Cut the transparent sheet to the size of the end of the box and mark in the size of the 'frame'.
Draw an image on the transparent sheet.
Tape the transparent sheet with the image over the cut-out window.
Cut a small hole in the opposite end of the box, just large enough for the torch to fit through.
Put the torch through the hole so the light shines inside the box and onto the transparent sheet. Alternatively, rest the torch behind the hole so it shines through the box towards the transparent sheet.
Put the lid on the box.
Turn off the lights in the room.
Point the box window towards a white wall or large sheet of white paper.
Turn on the torch. The image on your transparent sheet should be projected onto the wall.

Move the shoebox closer to and further away from the wall. Observe how the projected image changes.
Create a sequence of images and experiment with different ways to change from one image to the next more quickly. For example, try using more rigid plastic, arranging several images in a row or creating a strip of images.

How did the projected image change as you moved the shoebox? Why do you think the image became larger or smaller?
Identify the benefits and limitations of your portable slide projector. For example, its portability is an advantage, while the time it takes to change images may be a limitation.

Simple projector made from a box, transparent plastic and a torch. The torch projects the image drawn on the plastic onto the wall.

'Window' side of the shoebox projector with a torch behind it illuminating the image

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