Consider a lit candle placed on a cylinder. If the candle is placed at the center of the top surface, let the distance from the origin (center of the surface) to the end of the shadow be $r$. In this case the area of the shadow can easily be calculated by the difference of 2 circular areas ie:- $\pi r^2-$ Area of cylinder's base.
Now suppose we shift the candle from the origin & place it at some point $(x,y)$ on the circular surface, how do we calculate the area of the shadow? The dimensions of the cylinder are known. The length of the candle at the particular instant is known.
Further, what is the equation the shape of the shadow?
Thanks in advance.