Question

What are the differences between dispersion and scattering?

Answer 1

Hint: Dispersion is a phenomenon due to which white light splits into its constituent colors (the VIBGYOR). Scattering is the phenomenon due to which the light striking a particle or a surface deviates from its original path. You can also include information on whether the medium has any effect on scattering and dispersion and also examples of both of them.

Complete step by step answer:
Before moving on to the differences between dispersion and scattering let’s first discuss dispersion and scattering independently.
Dispersion – Dispersion is the phenomenon in which white light is split into its constituent colors (VIBGYOR, i.e. Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red). The speed of light is different in different mediums (the refractive index of different mediums is different) and this is the cause of the phenomenon of dispersion.
Scattering – Scattering is the phenomenon due to which the light ray deviates from its original path in a different direction. This scattering happens when the light ray strikes a particle or a surface.
The difference between dispersion and scattering are as follows:

	Dispersion	Scattering
1	Dispersion is the phenomenon in which white light is split into its constituent colors.	Scattering is the phenomenon due to which the light rays deviate from its original path in a different direction.
2	Dispersion occurs in all mediums but the separation between the split constituents light is affected by the medium.	Scattering is not affected by the medium in which scattering is taking place.
3	Dispersion of light is the reason for the formation of the rainbow during and after rain. Here the sunlight is dispersed due to the fine raindrops.	The scattering of light is the reason for the blue color of the sky. The blue color is predominately scattered by the fine particles (dust and other particles) and thus the sky appears blue.

Note:
The concept of dispersion was discovered way before scattering was discovered. The effect of dispersion was discovered in 1666 by Sir Issac Newton when he studied dispersion taking place in prisms. The concept of scattering of light was discovered in the year 1922 by an Indian scientist C.V. Raman for which he received a Nobel prize in physics in 1930.