Article about Specular reflection and diffuse reflection
If you stand in front of a plane mirror, you can see the image of your face reflected by the plane mirror. If you stand on the edge of a plane mirror, can you still see your face behind the plane mirror? You can investigate this further by shining a flashlight on a flat mirror surface. When the flashlight is directed perpendicular to the surface of the plane mirror, the flashlight reflected by the plane mirror can be seen. But if you stand on the edge of a plane mirror, then light the flashlight towards the center of the flat mirror, then you cannot see the reflection of the flashlight!
Different things happen when you observe an object during the day. Things like books, stones, or tables can be seen during the day because they reflect sunlight. These objects, like a mirror in the previous problem. When an object is in front of a plane mirror, the object reflects sunlight toward the surface of the plane mirror. Sunlight reflected by an object towards the surface of the plane mirror is then reflected by a plane mirror towards the eye so that we can see the shadow of the object behind the plane mirror. Different things happen to books, stones, or tables. During the day, sunlight is emitted to the book, and the book reflects sunlight into the eyes, so we can see the book. At night, the light is emitted to the book, and the book reflects the light of the lamp towards the eye, so we can see the book.
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