Helen Czerski: The fascinating physics of everyday life
Helen Czerski: La fascinante Física de la vida cotidiana
Dr. Helen Czerski investigates the physics of ocean bubbles and spends a lot of time sharing the big scientific ideas hidden in the small objects around us. Full bio
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needs a little modification.
cómo hablamos sobre la Física.
I don't live here anymore.
ya no vivo aquí.
that I have a northern nana,
significa que tengo una abuela norteña,
she hasn't had much formal education,
no tuvo mucha educación formal,
studying physics at Cambridge,
de Física en Cambridge,
at Nana's house in Urmston
en su casa en Urmston
open in front of me
hieroglyphics -- let's be honest.
seamos honestos.
and she looked at this folder,
about what was on the page.
and Einstein A and B coefficients.
y los coeficientes A y B.
I could think of at the time.
en ese momento.
because it's a very good question --
porque es una pregunta muy buena,
when "that" is physics?
¿Cuando "eso" es la Física?
we talk about physics in society
al hablar sobre Física en la sociedad
that we can do when we know that.
que podemos hacer cuando sabemos eso.
needs a bit of a shift.
necesita algunos cambios.
matters for our society,
importa para nuestra sociedad,
because I'm a physicist and I'm biased
soy física y pienso parcialmente
important people in the world.
las personas más importantes del mundo.
an image problem, let's be honest --
ciertamente un problema de imagen,
that's from the Solvay Conference in 1927.
de la Conferencia de Solvay en 1927.
of physics were grappling
las grandes mentes de la Física
la naturaleza del determinismo
solo una probabilidad
only to have a probability
very stern-looking men in suits.
son todos hombres muy rígidos de traje.
"Marie Antoinette,"
"María Antonieta",
on the bottom there,
la tercera de la izquierda abajo,
but had to dress like everybody else.
pero debía vestir como el resto.
there's all these kinds of hieroglyphics,
existen todos estos tipos de jeroglíficos,
de dos agujeros negros chocando,
of two black holes colliding,
honestamente.
worth watching, to be honest.
the risk assessment
la evaluación de riesgo
the image of physics, right?
esta es la imagen de la Física, ¿verdad?
dressed in a slightly strange way.
vestida de una forma algo extraña.
¿por qué me debía importar?
is that I'm a physicist,
between the atmosphere and the ocean.
la atmósfera y el océano.
the ocean is massive,
el océano es enorme,
that joins them together
from one huge reservoir to the other.
una reserva enorme a la otra.
that was me who took this video --
fui yo quien filmó esto,
by the way, was 10 meters.
por cierto, era de 10 m.
happening here --
es definitivamente Física,
this is definitely physics.
esto es definitivamente Física.
in our cultural perception of physics,
en nuestra percepción cultural de ella,
in our cultural perception of physics?
en dicha percepción cultural de la Física?
there has to be a graph, right?
tiene que haber un gráfico, ¿verdad?
from very fast things there,
desde cosas muy rápidas,
big things up there.
cosas grandes en la punta.
of physics looks like this.
de la Física es así.
down in that corner,
en esa esquina,
in the general ...
en lo general...
for everyday life.
para la vida diaria.
which is up there;
ubicada ahí arriba;
in the beginning of the universe,
en el comienzo del universo,
in physics, right?
en la Física, ¿verdad?
to discover new physics
para descubrir una nueva Física
there's a very large gap in the middle.
de que hay un gran espacio en el medio.
and volcanoes and clouds
that make up our everyday life.
que forman nuestra vida diaria.
you'd be surprised --
se sorprenderían,
it's just that nobody talks about it.
sólo que nadie habla de ello.
is that they all run
es que todas suceden
of physical laws,
de leyes de la física,
applies over a huge range,
aplica sobre un rango enorme,
to very, very big things.
hasta otras muy grandes.
to get outside of this.
para salir de esto.
in research physics here,
en la investigación de la Física,
they bring about
complex world we live in.
y complejo mundo nuestro.
that really matters to me
que realmente me importa
that we don't talk about.
research going on here.
sobre la Física.
pointing at stars,
señalar estrellas,
think it's not that.
piensa que no es eso.
is that there are so many things
que existen muchas cosas
de la física,
en funcionamiento
and one of them has been boiled.
está crudo y el otro está cocido.
have tried that, you all knew.
todos supieron.
you set them spinning,
que los pones a girar,
the one that's completely solid,
el que está completamente sólido
you only stop the shell;
sólo detienes la cáscara;
because nothing's made it stop.
porque nada lo hizo detenerse.
so the egg starts to rotate again.
y el huevo empieza a girar otra vez.
of something in physics
de algo en la Física
of angular momentum,
del momento angular,
that if you set something spinning
que si haces girar algo
unless you do something to stop it.
a menos que hagas algo para detenerlo.
in how the universe works.
en el funcionamiento del universo.
if you're the sort of person --
si eres el tipo de persona,
and then put them back in the fridge.
nuevamente en el refrigerador.
it's OK. We won't judge you.
No lo juzgaremos.
broader applicabilities.
mucho más amplias.
which is a very tiny part of the sky.
una parte diminuta del cielo.
in free space for 25 years,
en el espacio por 25 años,
to a tiny region of sky.
región diminuta del cielo.
it did it in sections,
lo hizo en secciones,
to take amazing images like this.
como esta con precisión.
that is not touching anything
of it, it has something
tiene algo que,
isn't a raw egg,
no es un huevo crudo.
of conservation of angular momentum,
de conservación del momento angular,
with the same axis, indefinitely.
indefinidamente.
and so it can orient itself.
y así puede orientarse.
we can play with in the kitchen and use,
que usamos y nos entretiene en la cocina,
some of the most advanced technology
la existencia de la tecnología
that you learn these patterns
de la Física, que aprendan esos patrones
again and again and again.
when you spot them in new places.
utilizarlos en lugares nuevos.
to an audience full of businesspeople once
a un público lleno de gente de negocios
and trying to impress their bosses.
de impresionar a sus jefes.
so I showed the egg video and then said,
entonces les mostré el vídeo y dije:
and ask me afterwards to check."
y luego lo controlaremos."
tugging on my sleeve afterwards,
tirando de mi manga,
Gritaban: "¡Si!"
from spotting these patterns
detectar esos patrones
give you access
nos da acceso
in our everyday world.
en nuestro mundo cotidiano.
is it involves playing with toys.
jugar con juguetes.
as the mundane little things
ser descartadas como eso pequeño y mundano
on a Saturday afternoon
un sábado a la tarde
that actually really matters,
and it applies to eggs
y aplica a los huevos,
and all sorts of other things,
de la mantequilla y todo tipo de cosas,
to modern technology
that's going on in the world.
que suceda en el mundo.
with these patterns.
jugar con estos patrones.
number of concepts
de conceptos
using things in your kitchen,
utilizando cosas en su cocina,
for life in the outside world.
para la vida en el mundo exterior.
a duck is a good place to start,
pensar en un pato es un buen inicio
don't get cold.
of thermodynamics with the duck,
de termodinámica con el pato,
in your kitchen
ser divertidos
and modern energy generation.
y la generación moderna de energía.
a good thing to play with.
que son muy divertidas.
fish some raisins out of the bar snacks,
tomen algunas pasas de un cuenco,
to watch; try it.
inténtenlo.
the interesting people to you.
and gas laws and viscosity.
y los gases y la viscosidad.
and they're right around us everywhere.
y están en todas partes.
you don't need a big, posh lab.
no necesitan un gran laboratorio lujoso.
I had the chapter on spin.
estaba el capítulo sobre la rotación.
about toast falling butter-side down.
cayendo al revés.
who's not a scientist,
que no es científico,
what he thought,
y me dijera qué pensaba,
a couple of weeks later,
un par de semanas después,
in a posh hotel in Switzerland,
en un lujoso hotel de Suiza,
to push toast off the table,
la tostada de la mesa,
he doesn't have to.
no tiene que creerme.
and try it for himself.
y probarlo por sí mismo.
to know about science:
a saber sobre la ciencia:
through experience and experimentation,
por la experiencia y la experimentación,
we basically know how gravity works,
sabemos cómo funciona la gravedad,
of experimentation:
trying things out,
science forward --
cómo avanzamos científicamente,
in the everyday world.
en el mundo cotidiano.
about technology,
sobre la tecnología,
la informática cuántica
that are about this size,
de este tamaño,
sit on chairs that are about this size,
de este tamaño,
means we're not helpless.
significa que no estamos a la deriva.
that we're not helpless,
es algo muy importante,
que puede ver las cosas,
about knowing all the answers.
saber todas las respuestas.
so you can ask the right questions.
hacer las preguntas correctas.
little things in everyday life,
fundamentales en la vida diaria,
to ask the right questions.
para hacer las preguntas correctas.
when you know that --
in the everyday world
en el mundo cotidiano
eggs in the fridge --
en el refrigerador,
and the curiosity
la curiosidad
con juguetes.
all the fun, right?
deberían divertirse? ¿cierto?
for studying physics, for example,
para estudiar Física, por ejemplo,
que se me ocurre:
three life-support systems.
tiene tres sistemas de apoyo vital.
life-support system,
independiente,
on the fundamental physical laws
a las leyes fundamentales de la Física
with eggs and teacups and lemonade,
con huevos, tazas de té y limonada,
is such a serious problem,
es un problema tan serio,
life-support systems,
and we need to negotiate that boundary.
y necesitamos negociar esa frontera.
that we can learn
que aprendamos
the world around us works,
el mundo trabaja,
to know about in life,
is going to get you a long way.
por un largo camino.
in having fun with physics
en divertirte con la Física
but apparently, these people exist --
aparentemente, existen esas personas,
in keeping yourself alive
en mantenerte con vida y cómo funcionan
is remarkably constant;
notablemente constante;
of things that we measure.
que medimos.
some new quantum mechanics,
una nueva mecánica cuántica,
are still going to fall down.
todavía van a caer.
world, in not being helpless,
la Física, en tener protección
and adults do this --
y los adultos hacen esto,
and your brain goes, "Oh, that's weird."
y sus cerebros dicen: "Uy, eso es raro."
"You're an adult. Keep going."
"Eres un adulto. Sigue con lo tuyo."
hold that thought --
mantener ese pensamiento.
"Oh, that's a bit odd,"
"Uy, eso es raro,"
there to play with,
any of those little moments
ninguno de esos momentos
highly entertaining.
muy divertido.
like watching paint dry,
mirar el secado de la pintura.
it's worth watching.
vale la pena observarlo.
if there are teacups around.
si hay tazas de té cerca.
to play with teacups, it's brilliant.
para jugar con ellas, es genial.
is to get a teacup, get a spoon,
una cuchara,
del borde y escuchar,
push your toast off the table
dejar caer la tostada de la mesa
and you'll learn stuff from it.
y aprenderán de ello.
that it doesn't fall butter-side down,
que no caiga del lado de la mantequilla,
play with toys.
jugar con juguetes.
the physical world for ourselves
el mundo físico por nuestra cuenta
to understand society,
si queremos entender la sociedad,
on which everything else must be based.
en el cual todo debe basarse.
our life-support systems going is great.
sistemas de apoyo vital lo es.
that we need to change
lo que necesitamos cambiar
with weird people
ahí fuera con gente rara
and we can all play with it.
para jugar con ella.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Helen Czerski - PhysicistDr. Helen Czerski investigates the physics of ocean bubbles and spends a lot of time sharing the big scientific ideas hidden in the small objects around us.
Why you should listen
Dr. Helen Czerski has studied bubbles at sea and in the lab, has presented many highly-regarded BBC science documentaries and has told the stories of science (and especially of physics) on stage and in print.
Czerski's academic home is the department of mechanical engineering at University College London in the UK. Her first book, Storm in a Teacup, was published in 2016 (2017 in the US) and shows how the biggest ideas in physics come to life in the world around us -- and how the most mundane quirks of the everyday world open the door to the physics that every citizen needs to know.
Photo: Alex Brenner
Helen Czerski | Speaker | TED.com