n physcs, scttrng s wd rng f physcl prcsss whr mvng prtcls r rdtn f sm frm, sch s lght r snd, r frcd t dvt frm strght trjctry by lclzd nn-nfrmts (ncldng prtcls nd rdtn) n th mdm thrgh whch thy pss. n cnvntnl s, ths ls nclds dvtn f rflctd rdtn frm th ngl prdctd by th lw f rflctn. Rflctns f rdtn tht ndrg scttrng r ftn clld dffs rflctns nd nscttrd rflctns r clld spclr (mrrr-lk) rflctns. rgnlly, th trm ws cnfnd t lght scttrng (gng bck t lst s fr s sc Nwtn n th 17th cntry). s mr "ry"-lk phnmn wr dscvrd, th d f scttrng ws xtndd t thm, s tht Wllm Hrschl cld rfr t th scttrng f "ht rys" (nt thn rcgnzd s lctrmgntc n ntr) n 1800. Jhn Tyndll, pnr n lght scttrng rsrch, ntd th cnnctn btwn lght scttrng nd cstc scttrng n th 1870s. Nr th nd f th 19th cntry, th scttrng f cthd rys (lctrn bms) nd X-rys ws bsrvd nd dscssd. Wth th dscvry f sbtmc prtcls (.g. rnst Rthrfrd n 1911) nd th dvlpmnt f qntm thry n th 20th cntry, th sns f th trm bcm brdr s t ws rcgnzd tht th sm mthmtcl frmwrks sd n lght scttrng cld b ppld t mny thr phnmn.
Scttrng cn rfr t th cnsqncs f prtcl-prtcl cllsns btwn mlcls, tms, lctrns, phtns nd thr prtcls. xmpls ncld: csmc ry scttrng n th rth's ppr tmsphr; prtcl cllsns nsd prtcl cclrtrs; lctrn scttrng by gs tms n flrscnt lmps; nd ntrn scttrng nsd nclr rctrs.
Th typs f nn-nfrmts whch cn cs scttrng, smtms knwn s scttrrs r scttrng cntrs, r t nmrs t lst, bt smll smpl nclds prtcls, bbbls, drplts, dnsty flcttns n flds, crystllts n plycrystlln slds, dfcts n mncrystlln slds, srfc rghnss, clls n rgnsms, nd txtl fbrs n clthng. Th ffcts f sch ftrs n th pth f lmst ny typ f prpgtng wv r mvng prtcl cn b dscrbd n th frmwrk f scttrng thry.
Sm rs whr scttrng nd scttrng thry r sgnfcnt ncld rdr snsng, mdcl ltrsnd, smcndctr wfr nspctn, plymrztn prcss mntrng, cstc tlng, fr-spc cmmnctns nd cmptr-gnrtd mgry. Prtcl-prtcl scttrng thry s mprtnt n rs sch s prtcl physcs, tmc, mlclr, nd ptcl physcs, nclr physcs nd strphyscs. n prtcl physcs th qntm ntrctn nd scttrng f fndmntl prtcls s dscrbd by th Scttrng Mtrx r S-Mtrx, ntrdcd nd dvlpd by Jhn rchbld Whlr nd Wrnr Hsnbrg.
Scttrng s qntfd sng mny dffrnt cncpts, ncldng scttrng crss sctn (σ), ttntn cffcnts, th bdrctnl scttrng dstrbtn fnctn (BSDF), S-mtrcs, nd mn fr pth.