Reflection works best when a material has a smooth shiny surface. The rays of light which strike it are not scattered when they are reflected. Surfaces that are like this are called mirrors.

Most other objects, such as paper, your skin and clothes do not have flat shiny surfaces so when rays of light strike them the rays bounce off in all directions and you cannot see a reflection.

Almost all surfaces reflect light but the light they reflect may scatter in many directions. A reflector reflects light so that it travels in just one direction. This happens because a reflector has a smooth, shiny surface.

A reflector may be flat or curved into a dish shape. If is it is curved inwards to form a bowl, the reflected light rays come together to form a beam of very bright light.