How does mirrors work

This is called diffuse reflection. Metal and glass, meanwhile, are very smooth, and reflect light back more directly. This is called specular reflection. Now imagine throwing the tennis balls at an uneven surface like a craggy rock face—depending on where they hit, the balls will bounce back at different angles.

The same principle is at work when light hits other smooth surfaces , like a calm body of dark water. Microwave or over doors? Pots and pans? And, yes, you can count the mirrors on vehicles that sit in your garage or driveway.

Can you find more than 10 mirrors around your home? More than 25? Can anyone find ? You may not realize it, but mirrors can be super-secret spy tools for secret agents. To start, you're going to learn how to use a mirror to compose a secret message in mirror code.

Think of a short message you want to deliver to some friends. Write it out in large letters on a piece of paper. Then, hold your message up to a mirror. When you look at the reflection of your message in the mirror, it should look kind of funny. Take another piece of paper and copy your message the way it appears in the mirror. Take your time. This can be harder than it sounds. Can they read it?

Probably not! Give them a clue that they may need a mirror to decode your message. Once they understand the trick, ask them to compose a message in mirror code for you to decode. When you're finished with your mirror messages, use mirrors to explore the world around you in ways you don't normally see it. You can use mirrors to see sides of things you rarely see. What does it look like underneath a car? Hold a mirror under a car and check it out!

What about the underside of an ant or another bug? Find some bugs and put them on a mirror. Isn't it strange to see things from a new perspective? What other interesting views can you get with mirrors? Enjoy exploring the seldom-seen side of things!

If you're up for a challenge, combine your mirror with a camera to get some interesting photographs of objects from some unique angles! Did you get it? Test your knowledge. What are you wondering? Wonder Words plane calm smooth ray reflection reaction scattered reversed relative function mirror photon obsidian aluminum absorbed accurately Take the Wonder Word Challenge. Join the Discussion. Carly Jan 23, This was really interesting. The video reminded me of fun-house mirrors! Jan 26, Thanks for sharing that connection, Carly!

Evie Jan 21, Jan 21, We're glad you liked it, Evie! Olivia Jan 21, We're so glad you learned a lot, Olivia! Corbin Sep 17, Correct me if I am wrong, but I d not believe that any televisions use mirrors. When building technology simpler is better.

The display technologies use either backlights or individually controlled LEDs. There should be no use for a mirror anywhere. Sep 18, Hi Corbin! There are actually mirror TVs on the market right now. Thanks for stopping by! Naomi Jun 5, Jun 5, Mar 5, Alex Oct 25, So there is a lot of thing this articole dident menshion like The light will reflect off the mirror in a more orderly way than it reflects off your clothes.

We call that specular reflection—it's the opposite to diffuse reflection. How does the mirror reflect light? The silver atoms behind the glass absorb the photons of incoming light energy and become excited.

I personaly thing that theas articoles should be more revalent. Apr 11, Essentially, a mirror is made up of a shiny piece of extremely smooth metal, kept in place with a glass front and a thin layer of backing usually aluminum. Key to the way a mirror functions is how the physics of light behave in our Universe: the same laws that make a banana appear yellow and a piece of paper appear white.

The colour of something is defined by which colours of the visible spectrum it absorbs or reflects. Our aforementioned banana, for example, absorbs every colour except yellow - so the yellow light returns to our eyes unless there's no light, in which case the banana is as black as everything else.

Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. Prev NEXT. Everyday Innovations. The Virtual Image. Cite This!