Dispersion is the spreading of people or things over a wide area.
[formal]
The threat will force greater dispersion of their forces. [+ of]
dispersion in British English
(dɪˈspɜːʃən)
noun
1. another word for dispersal
2. physics
a.
the separation of electromagnetic radiation into constituents of different wavelengths
b.
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
3. statistics
the degree to which values of a frequency distribution are scattered around some central point, usually the arithmetic mean or median
4. chemistry
a system containing particles dispersed in a solid, liquid, or gas
5. military
the pattern of fire from a weapon system
6.
a.
the range of speeds of such objects as the stars in a galaxy
b.
the frequency-dependent retardation of radio waves as they pass through the interstellar medium
c.
the deviation of a rocket from its prescribed path
7. ecology
the distribution pattern of an animal or a plant population
Dispersion in British English
(dɪˈspɜːʃən)
noun
the Dispersion
dispersion in American English
(dɪˈspɜrʒən; dɪsˈpɜrʃən)
noun
1.
a dispersing or being dispersed
2.
the breaking up of light into component colored rays, as by means of a prism
3.
the resolution of a complex electromagnetic radiation into components in accordance with some characteristic, as wavelength or energy
4.
the variation or scattering of data around some average or central value
5.
a colloidal system with its dispersed particles and the medium in which these are suspended