reflects

Reflects is the third-person singular present tense of the verb reflect. As a general verb, it can mean to throw back (light, heat, or sound) from a surface, to think carefully about something, or to show or indicate something about a subject. The word derives from Latin reflectere, meaning "to bend back" (re- "back" + flectere "to bend").

In science and everyday observation, reflection describes the return of waves from a boundary. The law of reflection states that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. Surfaces can produce specular reflections, like a mirror, or diffuse reflections, where light is scattered in many directions. An object "reflects" when it bounces light back toward the observer.

In thinking and communication, "reflect" can mean to consider or to reveal. For example, "The results reflect a trend" indicates that the data show or imply a particular pattern. The phrase "reflect on" means to contemplate. In art and literature, a work may reflect the author’s experiences or the culture of its time.

In computing and information science, reflection refers to inspecting or modifying a program's structure and behavior at runtime. The verb form "reflects" may appear in prose to describe such behavior, e.g., "The API reflects the object's type information." The noun "reflection" is more common in technical contexts but the verb form remains standard in ordinary usage.