Black is said to absorb all colors of light, so why can a black surface be reflective, such as a black painted car.
In: Physics
The glossy surface can be from polished clear coating applied on top of the paint.
When light hits the surface, some amount first bounces off that coating layer and you see a glossy, mirror-like reflection. The remaining light transmits through the coating onto the black paint and most of it gets absorbed.
You can do the same by polishing the paint to a mirror finish. Then, some portion of light is reflected like a mirror rather than scattered back like if you shined light on a piece of paper.
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