why does water reflect better than other objects?

Question

my idea is water has more of a smooth surface,so light is
reflected in a uniform way,giving you a more exact
outline of an object. everything else also reflects but at all kinds
of crazy angles you cant see a coherent shape.
could any scientifically trained ppl verify this?

Answer 1

The previous two answers are correct. The surface of a still body of water is one of few naturally occuring situations producing a clear reflection. Gravity, molecular motion, the freedom of molecules in a liquid to move to positions of lowest energy, and an index of refraction that differs from air all contribute. Mercury is much better, since its reflectance is nearly 100%. The surface of a pool of mercury is a nearly perfect mirror.

Answer 2

Water and other liquids will tend to form a smooth surface, as you mention, which is part of it - the rest of it gets more complex, but yes, rough surfaces will diffuse the incoming light waves more, or in some cases absorb the light energy, all of which results in less or no reflective image.

"...reflection of light may occur whenever light travels from a medium of a given refractive index into a medium with a different refractive index. In the most general case, a certain fraction of the light is reflected from the interface, and the remainder is refracted."

Answer 3

You're right. It has a nice smooth surface under the right conditions and it's index of refraction is higher than that of air.