Rough surfaces
Most surfaces are considered to be rough and reflect light, sending rays in many directions, unlike mirrors.
Light from a torch reflected in a mirror can be seen by an observer at a particular angle:
Most surfaces are much rougher than a mirror and, because of this, they reflect light rays in many different directions. If we magnify a tiny part of a surface, this is what happens to the light that hits it:
When we say rough, we mean rough at micro level. Even items that appear smooth, like enamel paint on a pencil, are very rough at micro level.
When light is reflected off a rough surface, the light rays are reflected at many different angles. This allows us to to see a surface from any angle.
Remember, light reflected from an object will spread in many directions.
