Light & Mirrors: What's Reflected & Absorbed?

[Stratosphere]

I know that black things absorb all light and white things don't absorb any but what does a mirror absorb or reflect? It reflects all types of light.

 

[mgb_phys]

A surface that reflects or absorbs all colors equally is called grey. Black and white are just the different ends of grey.
A mirror (ideally) reflects all wavelengths equally.

There is a similair definition of color - that a black object emits light only depending on it's temperature, the color of the object doesn't matter. Slightly confusingly the sun is a black body - it's color is only due to the temperature - all the different colored stars in the sky are simply different temperatures.

 

[astrokreng]

I can confirm that a mirror reflects all types of light. This is because mirrors are made up of a highly reflective material, such as glass with a thin layer of metal or a coating of silver or aluminum. When light hits the surface of a mirror, it bounces off at the same angle it came in at, resulting in a clear reflection. This process is known as specular reflection. Unlike black objects, which absorb all light, and white objects, which reflect all light, a mirror is able to reflect all wavelengths of light, making it appear as a perfect image of the objects in front of it. This property of mirrors is essential in many scientific and everyday applications, such as in telescopes, cameras, and even in everyday tasks like applying makeup.