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

Imagine light as a bunch of tiny invisible bouncy balls. When these bouncy balls hit a white object, they all bounce back together in different directions, making the object look bright. Now, think of a mirror like a special wall that’s really good at bouncing the bouncy balls exactly how they came. So, when the bouncy balls hit the mirror, they bounce back in the same way, showing you a clear reflection of things around it. The mirror is like a super bouncy wall, while the white object is like a party where the bouncy balls scatter everywhere!

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