if white things reflect light and mirror reflect light why don't they look the same We learned at school that white object reflects all the light that falls on it. We also learned that a mirror reflects all light as well. However, we cannot see ourselves in a white object while we can see ourselves in a mirror. 
What makes a mirror different from a white surface?
If both white surface and mirror reflect all the light that fall on them, then why don't they look the same?
 A: MIRROR


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*The thing is that, A mirror is a surface  from which light get totally reflected.

*It have a polished surface. We generally see mirror effect from metal surface.

*The light which come in strike at angle $\theta$ to the normal and reflect away at  $\theta$ from the normal.
WHITE SURFACE


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*It is a surface which seems to be white but it reflect and disperse of all seven visible wavelength.

*The surface is microscopically very rough. White surface are generally clothes, paints, non-metal, paper.

*The light which come in strike at angle $\theta$ to the normal and reflect away at many various angle from the normal.

*There is lot of distortion and dispersion of light.
That is why, a mirror $surface$ and white $surface$ are different.
A: A white object only appears white if white light is striking it. If only red light is striking it, it appears red. A mirror has less distortion than other surfaces so it reflects light in a straight line. You don't see the surface of the mirror but rather the objects from which the light originates. 
NB, when I speak about white or red light, it's important to remember that light itself has no colour. Colours are merely how our brains interpret different wavelengths. 
