eli5: What is the difference between a mirror and a white object?

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I mean, what does a white object do? Absorbs nothing, reflects all light back.

What does a mirror do? Absorbs nothing, reflects all light back.

Having the same characteristics, how does a mirror reflect an image and a white object, a white texture?

In: Physics

18 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

diffusion. White surfaces diffuse the light and send if off in many directions regardless of how the light came in. where as a mirror sends each light ray in roughly its own unique direction based on the angle the mirror was hit at.

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