Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Scattering |
ScatteringAdjective1. Spreading by diffusion. Noun1. The physical process in which particles are deflected haphazardly as a result of collisions. 2. A small number dispersed haphazardly: "the first scatterings of green". 3. A light shower that falls in some locations and not others nearby. 4. Spreading widely or driving off. 5. The act of scattering. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "scattering" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1350. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Aerospace | The process by which small particles suspended in a medium of a different index of refraction diffuse a portion of the incident radiation in all directions. In scattering, no energy transformation results, only a change in the spatial distribution of the radiation. Also called scatter.Along with absorption, scattering is a major cause of the attenuation of radiation by the atmosphere. Scattering varies as a function of the ratio of the particle diameter to the wavelength of the radiation. When this ratio is less than about one-tenth, Rayleigh scattering occurs in which the scattering coefficient varies inversely as the fourth power of the wavelength. At larger values of the ratio of particle diameter to wavelength, the scattering varies in a complex fashion described by the Mie theory; at a ratio of the order of 10, the laws of geometric optics begin to apply. (references) |
Electrical Engineering | A process in which a change in direction or energy of an incident particle is caused by a collision with a particle or a system of particles. Source: European Union. (references) |
Environment | An interaction of light with an object (e.g., a fine particle) that causes the light to be redirected in its path. (references) |
Physics | The irregular diffraction of a sound wave in many directions. Source: European Union. (references) |
Post & Telecom | A process by which the propagation of electromagnetic waves is modified by one or more discontinuities in the medium which have lengths of the order of the wave length. Source: European Union. (references) |
Science | The process by which electromagnetic radiation interacts with and is redirected by the molecules of the atmosphere, ocean, or land surface. The term is frequently applied to the interaction of the atmosphere on sunlight, which causes the sky to appear blue (since light near the blue end of the spectrum is scattered much more than light near the red end). (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
In physics, scattering is a class of phenomena by which particles are deflected by collisions with other particles.In astronomy and optics scattering is deflection of photons that by macroscopic surfaces such as an asteroid or by small particles like the rings of Saturn. No atomic or molecular absorption or emission processes are involved. The sky is blue because molecules in the air preferentially scatter blue light.
Scattering is the process by which small particles suspended in a medium of a different index of refraction diffuse a portion of the incident radiation in all directions. In scattering, no energy transformation results, only a change in the spatial distribution of the radiation. Also called scatter.
Along with absorption, scattering is a major cause of the attenuation of radiation by the atmosphere. Scattering varies as a function of the ratio of the particle diameter to the wavelength of the radiation. When this ratio is less than about one-tenth, Rayleigh scattering occurs in which the scattering coefficient varies inversely as the fourth power of the wavelength. At larger values of the ratio of particle diameter to wavelength, the scattering varies in a complex fashion described by the Mie theory; at a ratio of the order of 10, the laws of geometric optics begin to apply.
In particle physics, scattering refers to deflection of subatomic particles, a process central to many experiments. In scattering experiments, a target of some material is bombarded with a beam of particles (typically electrons, protons, or neutrons) and the number of particles emerging in various directions is measured. This distribution reveals information about the interaction that takes place between the target and the scattered particle.
A famous scattering experiment of alpha particles off gold nuclei performed by Ernest Rutherford revealed the basic structure of the atom - a tiny nucleus surrounded by electrons. See Rutherford scattering. Scattering has also been done off of nucleons and quarks.
Mathematically, scientists describe scattering by an impact parameter (which describes how close the incident particle would come to the target if it moved in a straight line) and an angle of deflection (which describes the angle at which the particle emerges relative to its original direction). The distribution of deflection angles is described by a function known as the differential cross section, which (roughly) relates a direction in space in which some particles emerge to the amount of the incoming beam (in area) those particles came from.
The abstract mathematics of scattering is developed as scattering theory.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Scattering."
Synonyms: ScatteringSynonyms: diffusing(a) (adj), diffusive (adj), dispersive (adj), disseminating (adj), disseminative (adj), spreading (adj), dispersion (n), scatter (n), sprinkle (n), sprinkling (n), strewing (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Nonassemblage Dispersion | Noun: {opp. } dispersion; disjunction; divergence; aspersion; scattering; Verb: dissemination, diffusion, dissipation, distribution; apportionment; spread, respersion, circumfusion, interspersion, spargefaction; affusion. waifs and estrays, flotsam and jetsam, disjecta membra; waveson. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Title |
Books |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
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| "Burning Cloud over the Sea 3" by Gary McCord Commentary: "Image taken at sundown through light scattering of clouds." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | The hens are scattering the dust with their beaks |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Scattering" is generally used as a lexical verb (-ing form) -- approximately 49.45% of the time. "Scattering" is used about 364 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Lexical Verb (-ing form) | 49.45% | 180 | 23,046 |
| Noun (singular) | 40.93% | 149 | 25,810 |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 7.42% | 27 | 66,962 |
| Noun (proper) | 2.2% | 8 | 124,375 |
| Total | 100.00% | 364 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes names derived from the word "scattering". | |||
| Name | Gender | Language | Meaning |
| Lysimachus | N/A | Biblical | Scattering the battle |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references.
| |||
Expressions using "scattering": a scattering of ♦ inelastic scattering ♦ radiation scattering ♦ radiative inelastic scattering ♦ scattering of visitors ♦ scattering parameters ♦ scattering votes ♦ thermal inelastic scattering ♦ Thomson scattering. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "scattering": scattering-factor. | |
Ending with "scattering": back-scattering, fish-scattering, laser-scattering, light-scattering. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "scattering"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Arabic | فض (adjourn, adjournment, breaking, close, unfold, unwrap), تبديد (dispersal, dispersion, dissipation, removal, squandering, waste), ذر (scatter, sprinkle), إنتشار (currency, diffusion, dispersal, expansion, pervasion, prevalence, propagation, spread, suffusion). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | разсейване (aberration, avocation, diffusion, dispersal, dispersion, dissipation, distraction), разпръскване (diffusion, dispersal, dispersion, dissemination, dissipation), разпилян (scattered, sporadic, straggling), в различни посоки (hither and thither), малък брой (fewness, sprinkling, trickle), пилеене (dissipation, waste, wasting). (various references) | |
Chinese | 驱散 (scattered), 散射 . (various references) | |
Danish | spredning (deconcentration, devolution, dispersal, dispersion, distribution, diverging, probable error, range, regulating, scatter, shaping, span, spread, spreading, standard deviation, stray). (various references) | |
Dutch | strooiing (dispersion, scatter), verstrooiing (absence of mind, distraction, diversion), verstrooiïng. (various references) | |
Finnish | sironta (diffusion), hajoaminen (breaking, decomposition, disintegration, dispersion, dissolution), hajautuminen, hajaannus (disintegration, dissolution, division, schism, split). (various references) | |
French | diffusion. (various references) | |
German | Streuung (dispersal, dispersion, mean variation, spread). (various references) | |
Greek | σκέδαση (radiation), διάχυση (diffusion, effusion, interfusion, permeation, pervasion, suffusion), διασκόρπιση (dispersion), διασκορπισμός (dissemination, distribution, spread). (various references) | |
Hebrew | תפוצה (circulation, currency, dispersion, distribution, spread), פזור (demilitarization, diffusion, dispersal, dispersion, dissipation, distribution, scatter, scattered, spread), זריה (dissemination, sprinkling, winnowing), הפצה (circulation, dissemination, distribution, promulgation, propagation, spread). (various references) | |
Hungarian | szóródás (diffusion, dissipation, scatter, spreading), szórás (combing out, diffraction, diffusion, dispersal, dispersion, killing circle, pointing error, scatter, spread, sprinkling), szétszóródás (diffusion, dispersal, dispersion, dissipation, skedaddle, spreading), szétszórás (diffusion, disarrangement, dispersal, dissipation, spreading), szétoszlatás (dispersal, dissipation), megsemmisítés (annihilation, annulment, destruction, dissolution, effacement, eradication, extermination, nullification, obliteration, repeal), elszórás, eloszlatás (distribution), eloszlás (dispersion, distribution). (various references) | |
Italian | dispersione (disbandment, dispersal, dispersion, dissipation, leakage), diffusione (broadcast, circulation, currency, diffusion, diffusiveness, dispersiveness, propagation, spread, telecast). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 飛散 (dispersal, flying), 離散 (dispersal), 統計 (a scatter, dispersion, statistics), 紛紛 (confusion), 散発 (sporadic), 散らし (leaflets), 拡散 (diffusion), 拡散 (diffusion), 撒布 (spraying, sprinkling), 四散 . (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | しさん (assets, fortune, means, property, trial calculation), ひさん (arsenic acid, disaster, dispersal, flying, misery, pitiful, tragedy, wretched), さっぷ (spraying, sprinkling), さんぷ (dissemination, pregnant woman, program, spraying, sprinkling, the Three Urban Prefectures, woman on the point of childbirth), さんぱつ (hair-cutting, hair-dressing, sporadic), ふんぷん (confusion), ばらつき (a scatter, dispersion), かくさん (diffusion, nucleic acid), りさん (dispersal), ちらし (leaflets). (various references) | |
Korean | 뿌림 (sprinkling). (various references) | |
Manx | skeaylley (bestrew, breed, cast loose, demobilization, diffract, diffuse, diffusion, disband, discharge, dismiss, dispel, disseminate, dissipate, dissipation, dissolution, dissolve, draw apart, drop away, leakage, liquidate, looseness, release, resolution, resolve, run out, scatter, scramble, slacken, slackening, slip, spread, spreading, spring, sprinkle, sprinkling, undoing, unfix, unfurl, unfurling), scaalhean (broadcast, dispersion, distribution, rout). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | atteringscay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | dispersao (spread), dispersão (broadcast, dispersal, disperse, dissipation, leakage), difusão atmosférica, difusão acústica, difusão (propagation, transfusion). (various references) | |
Russian | разбрасывать рассеяние. (various references) | |
Spanish | dispersión (breakup, dispersal, dispersion, dissipation, pattern, scatter). (various references) | |
Swedish | spridning (circulation, cirkulation, currency, deployment, diffusion, dispersal, dispersion, distribution, passage, proliferation), diffusion (diffusion). (various references) | |
Turkish | savurma (blowing about, flourish, hurl, tossing), saçma (absurd, applesauce, balls, baloney, blind, boloney, bunk, bunkum, chimerical, claptrap, cockeyed, dissemination, eradiation, fantastic, fantastical, farcical, fatuous, fiddle, fiddle-de-dee, fiddlesticks, foolish, for the birds, froth, frothy, fudge, go on, hog-wash, hooey, impertinent, inane, incongruous, inept, irrational, jabber wocky, kibosh, laugh, malarkey, nonsense, nonsensical, outlandish, paltry, pointless, poppycock, raving, rhubarb, rot, senseless, shot, shucks, skittles, small shot, smearcase, sorry, spinach, stuff, tommyrot, tosh, trash, trifling, tripe, trivial, trumpery, unreasonable, wacky, waffle, whacky), saçılma. (various references) | |
Ukrainian | утруска (outage, wastage), розсіювання (dispersal, dissipation, scatter), розкидання (dissemination, scatter). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | consparsio, dissipatione, dissipationem, dissipationes. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Language | Date | Source | Isaiah Chapter 30, Verse 30 |
| Greek (transliterated) | 250 BC | Septuagint | Kai akousthn poihsei o qeoV thn doxan thV fwnhV autou kai ton qumon tou bracionoV autou deixei meta qumou kai orghV kai flogoV katesqioushV keraunwsei biaiwV kai wV udwr kai calaza sugkataferomenh bia |
| Latin | 405 | Vulgate | Et auditam faciet Dominus gloriam vocis suae et terrorem brachii sui ostendet in comminatione furoris et flamma ignis devorantis adlidet in turbine et in lapide grandinis |
| Middle English | 1395 | Wyclif | And herd the Lord shal make the glorie of his vois, and the ferd of his arm he shal shewe in threting of wodnesse, and in flaume of fyr deuourende; he shal hurtle in whirlewind, and in the ston of hail. |
| Jacobean English | 1611 | King James | And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones. |
| Victorian English | 1833 | Webster | And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall show the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones. |
| Basic English | 1964 | Ogden | And the Lord will send out the sound of his great voice, and they will see his arm stretched out, with the heat of his wrath, and the flame of a burning fire; with a cloud-burst, and storm, and a rain of ice. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Isaiah Chapter 30, Verse 30 |
| Cebuano | Ug himoon ni Jehova nga ang iyang mahimayaong tingog madungog, ug magapakita sa pagpahoyhoy sa iyang bukton, uban ang kapintas sa iyang kasuko, ug sa siga sa kalayo nga makaut-ut, uban ang usa ka unos, ug bagyo, ug ulan-nga-yelo. |
| Croatian | Jahve æe zagrmjet glasom velièajnim i pokazat ruku svoju što udara u jarosnu gnjevu, sred ognja zatornog, iz olujna pljuska i krupÄe kamene. |
| Danish | HERREN lader høre sin Højheds Røst og viser sin Arm, der slår ned med fnysende Vrede, ædende Lue, Skybrud, skyllende Regn og Hagl. |
| Dutch | En de HEERE zal Zijn heerlijke stem doen horen, en de nederlating Zijns arms doen zien, met grimmigheid van toorn, en een vlam van verterend vuur, stralen, en een vloed, en hagelstenen. |
| Finnish | Herra antaa kuulla äänensä voiman ja nähdä käsivartensa laskeutuvan alas vihan tuimuudessa ja kuluttavan tulen liekissä, pilvenpurkuna, rankkasateena ja raekivinä. |
| French | Et l`Éternel fera retentir sa voix majestueuse, Il montrera son bras prêt à frapper, Dans l`ardeur de sa colère, Au milieu de la flamme d`un feu dévorant, De l`inondation, de la tempête et des pierres de grêle. |
| German | Und der HERR wird seine herrliche Stimme erschallen lassen, daß man sehe seinen ausgereckten Arm mit zornigem Dräuen und mit Flammen des verzehrenden Feuers, mit Wetterstrahlen, mit starkem Regen und mit Hagel. |
| Hungarian | És megzendíti az Úr dicsõséges szavát, karjának lesujtását megmutatja megbúsult haragjában és emésztõ tûz lángjában, vízáradással, zivatarral és jégesõ kövével. |
| Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari | TUHAN akan memperdengarkan suara-Nya yang agung, dan setiap orang akan merasakan kuasa-Nya yang hebat. Kemarahan-Nya akan mendatangkan api yang menghanguskan, hujan lebat, hujan batu dan badai. |
| Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama | Pada masa itu diperdengarkan Tuhan kelak bunyi suara-Nya yang mahamulia dan diperlihatkan-Nya lengan-Nya yang turun dengan kehangatan murka, dengan nyala api yang makan habis, dengan taufan dan air bah dan hujan air beku. |
| Italian | Il Signore farà udire la sua voce maestosa e mostrerà come colpisce il suo braccio con ira ardente, in mezzo a un fuoco divorante, tra nembi, tempesta e grandine furiosa. |
| Maori | Ka meinga hoki e Ihowa tona reo kororia kia rangona, kia kitea te tautanga iho o tona ringa, me te weriweri o tona riri, te mura o te ahi e kai ana, te apuhau, te tupuhi, me te nganga kohatu. |
| Norwegian | Og Herren skal la høre sin veldige røst og vise sin nedfarende arm i brennende harme og fortærende ildslue, storm og regnskyll og hagl. |
| Portuguese | O Senhor fará ouvir a sua voz majestosa, e mostrará a descida do seu braço, na indignação da sua ira, e a labareda dum fogo consumidor, e tempestade forte, e dilúvio e pedra de saraiva. |
| Rumanian | Wi Domnul va face sq rqsune glasul Lui mqrey, Kwi va arqta brayul gata sq loveascq, kn mknia Lui aprinsq, kn mijlocul flacqrii unui foc mistuitor, kn mijlocul knecului, furtunii wi pietrelor de grindinq. |
| Spanish | Entonces Jehovah hará oír la majestad de su voz, y dejará ver el descenso de su brazo con furor de ira y con llama de fuego consumidor, con lluvia violenta, torrente y piedras de granizo. |
| Swedish | Och HERREN skall låta höra sin röst i majestät och visa huru hans arm drabbar, i vredesförgrymmelse och med förtärande eldslåga, med storm och störtskurar och hagelstenar. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "scattering": scatteringly, scatterings. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "scattering": backscattering. (additional references) | |
Words containing "scattering": backscatterings. (additional references) | |
| |
"Scattering" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: scateing, scaterring, scuttering. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "scattering" (pronounced ska"tering) |
| 5 | -a" t er i ng | battering, chattering, flattering, nattering, shattering, smattering, spattering, unflattering. |
| 4 | -t er i ng | administering, altering, bantering, bartering, bettering, blistering, blustering, bolstering, catering, centering, chartering, clustering, cluttering, countering, doctoring, encountering, entering, factoring, faltering, festering, filibustering, filtering, fluttering, fostering, frittering, glittering, guttering, hectoring, lettering, littering, loitering, mastering, mentoring, metering, mitering, monitoring, motoring, mustering, muttering, neutering, pestering, petering, plastering, puttering, reentering, registering, sculpturing, sequestering, sheltering, shuttering, slaughtering, splintering, sputtering, stuttering, sweltering, teetering, tottering, tutoring, uttering, watering. |
| 3 | -er i ng | answering, anchoring, angering, auguring, backfiring, badgering, belaboring, beleaguering, bewildering, bickering, blundering, bordering, bothering, brokering, butchering, capturing, censoring, clamoring, clobbering, coloring, configuring, conjuring, conquering, considering, cornering, covering, cowering, culturing, deciphering, delivering, desiring, devouring, diapering, dickering, differing, discovering, disfavoring, disfiguring, dismembering, dithering, doddering, embroidering, empowering, endangering, endeavoring, fathering, favoring, feathering, featuring, figuring, fingering, flavoring, flickering, floundering, flowering, foundering, fracturing, furthering, garnering, gathering, gerrymandering, gesturing, glimmering, glowering, grandfathering, hammering, hampering, hankering, harboring, hindering, hollering, honoring, hovering, hungering, hunkering, injuring, inquiring, laboring, laundering, lawyering, layering, lecturing, levering, lingering, lowering, lumbering, majoring, maneuvering, manufacturing, massacring, maundering, meandering, measuring, minoring, mirroring, mongering, mothering, murdering, murmuring, neighboring, nonmanufacturing, numbering, nurturing, offering, ordering, outnumbering, pampering, pandering, papering, partnering, peppering, perjuring, philandering, picturing, pilfering, plundering, pondering, posturing, powdering, powering, pressuring, proffering, prospering, puncturing, quivering, recapturing, reconsidering, recovering, rediscovering, rejiggering, remembering, rendering, reoffering, reordering, requiring, restructuring, rewiring, rupturing, savoring, scampering, scouring, severing, shimmering, shivering, shouldering, showering, shuddering, simmering, slithering, slobbering, slumbering, smoldering, smothering, snickering, sobering, soldering, soldiering, souring, spiering, sponsoring, squandering, staggering, structuring, suffering, surrendering, swaggering, tailoring, tampering, tapering, tempering, tendering, thundering, tinkering, torturing, towering, transpiring, triggering, uncovering, unwavering, ushering, venturing, wagering, wallpapering, wandering, warmongering, wavering, weathering, whimpering, whispering, withering, wondering, Wuthering, zippering. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-c-e-g-i-n-r-s-t-t" | |
-1 letter: interacts, recasting, restating, retasting, strategic. | |
-2 letters: agrestic, angriest, argentic, astringe, canister, catering, centrist, ceratins, cigarets, cisterna, citrates, citterns, creasing, creating, creatins, cresting, cristate, entastic, ergastic, estating, ganister, gantries, gitterns, gnattier, granites, ingrates, interact, intreats, nictates, nitrates, rangiest, reacting, scantier, scarting, scattier, scatting, starting, straiten, tacrines, tangiest, tertians, tetanics, tracings, transect, treating. | |
-3 letters: acetins. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-c-e-g-i-n-r-s-t-t" | |
+1 letter: scatterings, transecting. | |
+2 letters: nonstrategic, scatteringly, transfecting. | |
+3 letters: consternating, letterspacing, orchestrating, prognosticate, resuscitating. | |
+4 letters: backscattering, coinvestigator, counterstating, letterspacings, prognosticated, prognosticates. | |
+5 letters: backscatterings, categorizations, centrifugations, coinvestigators, counterstaining, extralinguistic, gentrifications, overabstracting, prognosticative, reorchestrating, straitjacketing. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Images: Slideshow 6. Images: Digital Art 7. Quotations: Fiction 8. Usage Frequency | 9. Names: Derived from 10. Expressions 11. Expressions: Internet 12. Translations: Modern | 13. Translations: Ancient 14. Bible Trace 15. Derivations 16. Rhymes | 17. Anagrams 18. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
