When light strikes an object, its rays can be either absorbed or reflected. A solid black object absorbs almost all light, while a shiny smooth surface, such as a mirror, reflects almost all light back. When reflected off a flat mirror, light bounces off at an angle equal to the angle it struck the object.
Light reflects from a smooth surface at the same angle as it hits the surface. For a smooth surface, reflected light rays travel in the same direction. This is called specular reflection. For a rough surface, reflected light rays scatter in all directions.
