: If white objects reflect all forms of light, how come they don’t act as mirrors?

Question

: If white objects reflect all forms of light, how come they don’t act as mirrors?

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Answer 1

There are two main types of light reflection. Direct reflection and diffuse reflection.

Direct reflection is what a mirror does. Light reflects off the surface at the opposite angle from which it came (angle of incidence equals angle of reflection). Thus, we can see an image when we look at a mirror.

A white surface (like paper) has the property of diffuse reflection. It reflects the light in all directions, pretty much equally. The result of this is a ‘normal’ looking object, not a mirror.