Running Memes

The struggle is real for anyone who's ever tried to outrun their shadow! This meme perfectly captures the physics of penumbra (partial shadow) behavior. Notice how the shadow calmly follows at normal walking pace, but the moment you start running, that shadow suddenly becomes The Flash. It's basically the scientific version of "objects in mirror may be closer than they appear" but for shadows. The penumbra doesn't actually move faster - it's just the projection angle changing rapidly as light source direction shifts relative to your position. Physics making us look foolish since... well, forever.