A surface that scatters light unequally in all directions is known as a ___________ surface?

The correct answer is matte surface. A matte surface is characterized by its ability to scatter light unequally in all directions. This means that it does not reflect light in a uniform manner like a specular surface, which reflects light in a single direction, creating clear images and bright spots.

Matte surfaces, due to their roughness or texture, diffuse the incoming light, resulting in a soft, non-glare appearance. This property is beneficial in many applications where reducing glare is necessary, such as in photography or when creating non-reflective coatings.

While terms like Lambert surface relate to surfaces that reflect light uniformly in all directions according to Lambert's cosine law, the focus here is specifically on how the light is scattered, which aligns with the concept of matte surfaces. Translucent surfaces allow some light to pass through but do not fall under the condition of scattering light unequally in all directions, as they typically would transmit rather than reflect light. Thus, the term matte surface best encapsulates the idea of unequal light scattering.