How is bouncing a basketball to a friend a model of how light reflects from a surface?

Answer:
If you think of light as made up of small, elastic particles, then when they hit a hard surface, they will bounce off and travel in another direction. This is analogous to a basketball bouncing off a floor. However, the particle nature of light has been disproven. A more accurate description lies in the wave or particle-wave duality nature of light.
First answer by Hanbert. Last edit by Hanbert. Contributor trust: 194 [recommend contributor recommended]. Question popularity: 1 [recommend question].