- present participle of scatter.
scattering
Americanadjective
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distributed or occurring here and there at irregular intervals; scattered.
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straggling, as an assemblage of parts.
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(of votes) cast in small numbers for various candidates.
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distributing, dispersing, or separating.
noun
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a small, scattered number or quantity.
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Physics. the process in which a wave or beam of particles is diffused or deflected by collisions with particles of the medium that it traverses.
noun
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a small amount
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physics the process in which particles, atoms, etc, are deflected as a result of collision
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The spreading of a stream of particles or a beam of rays, as of light, over a range of directions as a result of collisions with other particles. The sky appears blue due to the tendency of air molecules to scatter blue and violet light more than light of other frequencies. The scattering probabilities and patterns of subatomic particles, accelerated by particle accelerators and aimed at a target, is a major component of experimental particle physics.
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See also diffusion cross section
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of scattering
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at scatter, -ing 2, -ing 1
Vocabulary lists containing scattering
Physics - Introductory
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Physics - Middle School
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Physics - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The method is based on a process called "Brillouin Light Scattering," which measures the scattering of light from constantly present thermal vibrations in a sample.
From Science Daily • Jan. 18, 2024
In 1995, one month after James Merrill’s death, came the publication of his valedictory volume, a “A Scattering of Salts,” arguably the greatest accomplishment of the poet’s five-decade career.
From New York Times • Jun. 22, 2023
Scattering the works, he said, is a “missed opportunity.”
From Seattle Times • May 11, 2023
Scattering from other particles, such as smoke or dust, can also polarize light.
From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015
Scattering fallen leaves as he rushed down the tree-lined street, thirteen-year-old Bobby vaulted up the red-carpeted stairs of the Marshall Chess Club two steps at a time and entered the Great Hall.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
