What Causes the ‘Shine’ of a Wet Pavement?

Wet pavement shines because water makes it reflect light like a mirror. When it rains, the water fills in the tiny cracks and bumps on the road. This makes the surface smooth, so light bounces off it evenly instead of scattering all over the place. That's why you see your reflection when you walk past wet pavement!

Take the quiz →

Examples

  1. A puddle on a wet road reflects a tree.
  2. Walking by a rainy street shows your reflection in the pavement.
  3. Rainy sidewalks look like mirrors.

Ask a question

See also

Discussion

Comments (0)

Recent activity

Nothing here yet.