The classical theory of the scattering by a conservative central force is re-examined. A variational equation and a Fourier series expansion are developed whereby approximate expressions for the trajectory can be obtained. In addition, impulse integral equations are derived from which approximate relations between energy, impact parameter, and scattering angle can be developed. These methods are applied to potentials of the formV = C/rnand the results are found to be quite superior to those from the widely used small-angle approximation.