Why does a far object look small?

the reason a far object looks small is because of the light bouncing off of that object. only the light waves bouncing off and comming directly to your eye will you see. there is much more light being reflected from that object but because of your distance from it the majority of the light waves have traveled in other directions. ( here is a thought experiment ) if you had a 1foot by 1foot mirror and you were standing 100 feet in front of it, if you shined a flashlight directly at the mirror would the light be the same brightness when it is reflected back.