Question

From which surface of a mirror-the polished surface or the silvered surface - does most of the light reflect?

Answer 1

Answer:

For a conventional bathroom or vanity mirror, most of the light reflects from the rear surface, which is “silvered” with a metal coating which may be actual silver (on an old mirror) or aluminum (modern mirrors). The front surface, assuming it is just polished glass, reflects only about 4% of the incoming light .