Think of a mirror like a really shiny floor. When you shine a flashlight on it, most of the light bounces back to your eyes, that’s why you see yourself. But if the floor were rough and dusty, some of the light would get lost in the dust, just like how some materials absorb light instead of reflecting it. Mirrors are super smooth and shiny, so they reflect almost all the light, not absorb it.
Examples
- A mirror is like a smooth floor that reflects your image, if it were dusty, you’d see your reflection but also bits of dirt.
- When light hits a mirror, most of it bounces back to your eyes, just like when you shine a flashlight on a shiny wall and see the beam return.
- If you stood in front of a rough surface instead of a smooth one, the image would look blurry because the light scatters.
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See also
- Why Can’t We See Through Walls?
- Why Is the Sky Blue?
- Why Can't We See the Moon During the Day?
- What is Rayleigh scattering?
- What Makes a ‘Sunset’ Feel So Magical?
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