A light ray hits a hard, opaque object. The angle at which the light ray bounces off the object depends on

For reflection, the angle at which a ray bounces away equals the angle at which it hits the surface, with both angles measured from a line perpendicular to the surface. So the reflected ray’s direction depends on the incoming ray’s angle. A rough surface can scatter light in many directions, but the basic reflection rule still applies at each point.

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.