What happens to light waves when they strike a mirror?

When light waves strike a mirror, they reflect off the mirror's surface, which is why the correct answer is that they reflect. This reflection occurs due to the smooth, shiny nature of the mirror surface, which causes the light waves to bounce back rather than penetrate the material. The law of reflection states that the angle of incidence (the angle at which the light hits the mirror) is equal to the angle of reflection (the angle at which it bounces off), leading to the clear and defined reflection that we observe.

In contrast, other actions that light can take, such as transmitting through a material, would imply that the material is transparent, like glass, which is not the case for most mirrors. Scattering occurs when light hits rough surfaces, causing the waves to bounce off in multiple directions rather than creating a clear image. Absorption would mean that the light is taken up by the material instead of being reflected, which also does not occur with reflective surfaces like mirrors. Therefore, reflection is the primary phenomenon associated with light waves interacting with a mirror.