Diffuse reflection: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 03:19, 7 December 2024

Revision as of 01:12, 9 December 2024

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}}</ref> The rays represent [[luminous intensity]], which varies according to [[Lambert's cosine law]] for an ideal diffuse reflector.

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'''Diffuse reflection''' is the [[reflection (physics)|reflection]] of [[light]] or other [[Wave|waves]] or [[particles]] from a surface such that a [[ray (optics)|ray]] incident on the surface is [[scattering|scattered]] at many [[angle]]s rather than at just one angle as in the case of [[specular reflection]]. An ''ideal'' diffuse reflecting surface is said to exhibit [[Lambertian reflection]], meaning that there is equal [[luminance]] when viewed from all directions lying in the [[half-space (geometry)|half-space]] adjacent to the surface.

A surface built from a non-absorbing powder such as [[plaster]], or from fibers such as paper, or from a [[polycrystalline]] material such as white [[marble]], reflects light diffusely with great efficiency. Many common materials exhibit a mixture of specular and diffuse reflection.

The visibility of objects, excluding light-emitting ones, is primarily caused by diffuse reflection of light: it is diffusely-scattered light that forms the image of the object in thean observer's eye over a wide range of angles of the observer with respect to the object. (If only specular reflection exists, then the observer can see the object only at a small range of angles to the objection if the object is illuminated with collimated light.)

==Mechanism==