Eli5: how do mirrors reflect back if they’re just made of glass and why are some materials reflective and others not?

Question

I’ve heard that mirrors have something behind them to make the glass reflective but how does that work?

In: Engineering

Answer 1

Mirrors are very smooth, so when light hits it and bounces off, all the light rays bounce off together … this is why we can see reflections.

Concrete is an example of a not so soothe surface. When light hits it the rays scatter in all different directions and can’t recreate an image.

Kinda like simultaneously bouncing like 20 of those really bouncy balls on a flat surface versus an angled one. If flat, the balls will bounce in a group…. reflection. If angled, they go everywhere…. no reflection.