Why can you see your reflection in an unbroken mirror but not a broken mirror?

Question

Why can you see your reflection in an unbroken mirror but not a broken mirror?

Answer 1

I don't know, good question... I'll have to research that sometime in the near future

Answer 2

You can see your reflection just fine in a broken mirror.

However, you have to realize that each piece of the broken mirror is now independent of the other pieces, and they are likely all positioned at slightly different angles. Most of them are pointed away from you, and so you have the illusion of not being able to see yourself.

Because you're dealing with smaller pieces of mirror, you need to decrease the angle of reflection by looking directly at the mirror (as opposed to looking from the side as you can in a large mirror).

If you do that, you'll see yourself just fine—even if you can just see a small little bit!