Eli5: What’s the difference between a mirror and a white surface if both reflect all light?
In: Physics
Think about bouncing a rubber bouncy ball. If you bounce it on a smooth gymnasium floor, it is easy to bounce and catch because it bounces predictably. Now think about bouncing it on a parking lot. When it hits a small stone or a crack it bounce in an unpredictable way but it still bounces.
A mirror bounce the light back in the same way it comes in – this is the smooth predictable bounce. White things bounce the light like a rough parking lot – the scattered light is out of order and no longer looks like an image.
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