Scatter: Throwing Things Apart
To scatter is to throw things in different directions. Physics uses the word precisely, and it explains why the sky is blue.
To scatter is to throw or spread things in many directions. Physics uses it exactly: light scattering is the deflection of light by particles, and because shorter wavelengths scatter more strongly in air, the sky reads blue and the setting sun red. Both facts follow from one scattering rule.
- To spread in many directions. *Scatter the seed.*
- To disperse. *The crowd scattered.*
- Deflection of radiation. *Light scattering.*
- Scattered — occurring here and there. *Scattered showers.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | scatter | Scatter the ashes. |
| Past | scattered | Scattered widely. |
| Adjective | scattered | Scattered cloud. |
| Noun | scattering | A scattering of houses. |
| Compound | scattergun | A scattergun approach. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Scattered showers are expected.Forecast language: some places, not all.
- The papers scattered across the floor.No object needed.
- Blue light scatters more than red.Which is why the sky is blue.
Scattering in nature
- Rayleigh scattering — by particles much smaller than the wavelength; makes the sky blue
- Mie scattering — by larger particles; makes clouds white
- Sunset colours — long paths through air remove the blue
- Scatter plot — a graph showing individual data points
- Scattergun — trying many things at once, rarely a compliment
A Middle English word, probably a variant of *shatter*. The two remained close in sense for centuries before separating.
Why is the sky blue?
Because air molecules scatter short blue wavelengths far more strongly than long red ones, so blue light reaches your eye from all over the sky.
Scatter or disperse?
Scatter suggests a sudden throwing apart. Disperse is more formal and often describes a gradual spreading.