How Do Mirrors Reflect Images?

Mirrors work by bouncing light back at us. When you stand in front of a mirror, the light from your face hits the mirror and bounces back to your eyes, making it look like you're looking back at yourself. It's like when you throw a ball at a wall, it comes right back! The mirror uses something called smooth surfaces to make this happen, which is why your reflection looks clear and sharp.

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Examples

  1. When you wave to a mirror, your reflection waves back, just like when you talk to a friend who's right in front of you.
  2. A smooth mirror reflects clear images, while a rough surface (like a piece of paper) makes the image blurry and wobbly.
  3. If you draw on a mirror with a marker, your reflection will look like it’s drawing too, but only if both of you are looking at each other.

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Categories: Physics · light· reflection· optics · Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.