dispersion
Also dispersal. an act, state, or instance of dispersing or of being dispersed.
Optics.
the variation of the index of refraction of a transparent substance, as glass, with the wavelength of light, with the index of refraction increasing as the wavelength decreases.
the separation of white or compound light into its respective colors, as in the formation of a spectrum by a prism.
Statistics. the scattering of values of a variable around the mean or median of a distribution.
Military. a scattered pattern of hits of bombs dropped under identical conditions or of shots fired from the same gun with the same firing data.
Also called disperse system. Physical Chemistry. a system of dispersed particles suspended in a solid, liquid, or gas.
(initial capital letter) Diaspora (def. 1).
Origin of dispersion
1Other words from dispersion
- non·dis·per·sion, noun
- pre·dis·per·sion, noun
Words Nearby dispersion
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use dispersion in a sentence
dispersion is an accuracy-related metric that tracks performance under varying environmental conditions.
Fans wanted a war game to be more real, so they leaked classified docs | Noah Smith | August 5, 2022 | Washington PostThe more technical term is a radiological dispersion device.
What is the risk of a nuclear accident in Ukraine? A radiation expert speaks from Kyiv. | Jessica Hamzelou | March 25, 2022 | MIT Technology ReviewSo she worked with local musicians to meticulously track the dispersion of air from instruments with mouthpieces.
What science tells us about reducing coronavirus spread from wind instruments | Betsy Ladyzhets | August 6, 2021 | Science NewsUsing measurements of this dispersion, Hagstotz and colleagues estimated the distances to nine FRBs.
Fast radio bursts could help solve the mystery of the universe’s expansion | Mara Johnson-Groh | April 21, 2021 | Science NewsThis resulted in an unprecedented dispersion of property ownership.
In the Future We'll All Be Renters: America's Disappearing Middle Class | Joel Kotkin | August 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Egyptian president Morsi prays fervently in front row as an imam calls for the dispersion of the Jews.
Geographical dispersion also presents cheating opportunities.
Here are four distinct predictions; national peculiarity, grievous oppression, universal dispersion and remarkable preservation.
Gospel Philosophy | J. H. WardThe dispersion of the gusts shakes the streaming locks of the wind upon the four corners of the horizon.
Toilers of the Sea | Victor HugoIn February, 1778, there was almost a famine in the camp, and Washington feared a general mutiny and dispersion.
The Political History of England - Vol. X. | William HuntThe elaboration of the meanings of the Swastika indicated above and its dispersion or migrations form the subject of this paper.
The Swastika | Thomas WilsonThe camp was stormed, and with the dispersion of its defenders the revolt came suddenly to an end.
History of the English People, Volume VIII (of 8) | John Richard Green
British Dictionary definitions for dispersion (1 of 2)
/ (dɪˈspɜːʃən) /
another word for dispersal
physics
the separation of electromagnetic radiation into constituents of different wavelengths
a measure of the ability of a substance to separate by refraction, expressed by the first differential of the refractive index with respect to wavelength at a given value of wavelength: Symbol: D
statistics the degree to which values of a frequency distribution are scattered around some central point, usually the arithmetic mean or median
chem a system containing particles dispersed in a solid, liquid, or gas
military the pattern of fire from a weapon system
the range of speeds of such objects as the stars in a galaxy
the frequency-dependent retardation of radio waves as they pass through the interstellar medium
the deviation of a rocket from its prescribed path
ecology the distribution pattern of an animal or a plant population
British Dictionary definitions for Dispersion (2 of 2)
/ (dɪˈspɜːʃən) /
the Dispersion another name for the Diaspora
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for dispersion
[ dĭ-spûr′zhən ]
The separation by refraction of light or other radiation into individual components of different wavelengths. Dispersion results in most materials because a material's index of refraction depends on the wavelength of the radiation passing through it; thus different wavelengths entering a material along the same path will fan out into different paths within it. Prisms, for example, diffuse white light (which contains an even mixture of visible wavelengths) into its variously colored components; rainbows are an effect of dispersion in water droplets.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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