I know that mirrors reflect light, but how do they actually show us a clear image of ourselves or other objects? What’s happening at the microscopic level to create that reflection?
In: Physics
‘Sight’ is just your eyes taking in light bounced off another object.
Mirrors direct ALL light back at the person viewing it. So all light that is bouncing off you and off objects around you.
When light hits a surface like a white wall, it scatters in many directions because the surface on a small scale is actually *very* bumpy.
A mirror is still very smooth, even at a very small scale. This means the photons that bounce off it do so in the same pattern as when they hit it.
Essentially when light hits the smooth surface of the mirror, they bounce off in a uniform manner instead of scattering in random directions. Because the light is reflected in a consistent manner, your eyes process this as the image you see.
All things reflect light, some better than others and some only certain wavelengths (giving certain structures “color”)
Mirrors are incredibly efficient at reflecting light, leaving only a very feint green tint (the true color of a mirror)
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