Helen Czerski: The fascinating physics of everyday life
海伦 · 切尔斯基: 日常生活中迷人的物理现象
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
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
我是一名物理学家。
稍微改变对物理的看法。
needs a little modification.
但我已经不住在这儿了。
I don't live here anymore.
我有一个北方外婆,
that I have a northern nana,
她没有接受过多少正规教育,
she hasn't had much formal education,
studying physics at Cambridge,
我在厄姆斯顿的外婆家,
at Nana's house in Urmston
open in front of me
hieroglyphics -- let's be honest.
and she looked at this folder,
看到我面前的资料。
about what was on the page.
解释书上讲的内容,
and Einstein A and B coefficients.
爱因斯坦A、B系数的内容。
能做些什么呀?”
跟电脑有关的事情,
I could think of at the time.
我唯一能想到的用途。
其实是一个很棒的问题。
because it's a very good question --
你能做些什么?”
when "that" is physics?
we talk about physics in society
当我们在社会中谈起物理、
that we can do when we know that.
能做些什么”考虑在内,
needs a bit of a shift.
社会传播这种不同的观点。
matters for our society,
一个物理学家的偏见,
because I'm a physicist and I'm biased
世界上最重要的人,
important people in the world.
存在着一些问题,
an image problem, let's be honest --
并没有什么大的改观。
that's from the Solvay Conference in 1927.
1927年的索尔维会议,
of physics were grappling
可能出现在某个地方的概率
only to have a probability
西装革履,不苟言笑的男人。
very stern-looking men in suits.
安托瓦内特”(被送上断头台的法国王后),
"Marie Antoinette,"
左数第三位,
on the bottom there,
但必须和其他人着装一致。
but had to dress like everybody else.
——所有的一切都晦涩难懂,
there's all these kinds of hieroglyphics,
of two black holes colliding,
展现的两个碰撞的黑洞,
看上去有了观赏价值,
worth watching, to be honest.
为那里发生的事情
the risk assessment
物理通常给人的印象,对吧?
the image of physics, right?
一帮着装怪异的怪人们,
dressed in a slightly strange way.
is that I'm a physicist,
我是一名物理学家,
between the atmosphere and the ocean.
the ocean is massive,
海洋也一望无际,
一个薄层,将二者相连,
that joins them together
在巨大的容器间传递。
from one huge reservoir to the other.
这是我拍摄的视频——
that was me who took this video --
by the way, was 10 meters.
happening here --
是绝对的物理现象。
this is definitely physics.
并没有包括这些。
in our cultural perception of physics,
in our cultural perception of physics?
there has to be a graph, right?
所以就离不开用图表说话,对吧?
from very fast things there,
最右边的则需要比较长的时间;
big things up there.
大家伙在最上面,
of physics looks like this.
down in that corner,
在坐标轴最下方......
in the general ...
for everyday life.
相比较而言的话。
which is up there;
就在右上角那里。
去了一些地方,
它们就交织在宇宙背后,
in the beginning of the universe,
in physics, right?
这些是物理学的前沿,对吧?
to discover new physics
there's a very large gap in the middle.
中间缺少了一大块,
有非常多的东西。
and volcanoes and clouds
that make up our everyday life.
you'd be surprised --
这些也是由物理学支撑的,
it's just that nobody talks about it.
只是没人谈论它而已。
is that they all run
一小部分的物理定律,
of physical laws,
物理学范围极其广泛,
applies over a huge range,
to very, very big things.
to get outside of this.
in research physics here,
they bring about
complex world we live in.
美妙、混乱和复杂的世界。
这才是基于日常生活,
that really matters to me
that we don't talk about.
research going on here.
pointing at stars,
认为这里不涉及物理学。
think it's not that.
is that there are so many things
另一个是煮熟的,
and one of them has been boiled.
回答正确!
have tried that, you all knew.
当你把它们转动起来,
you set them spinning,
因为它已全部成为固体,
the one that's completely solid,
你只是停住了鸡蛋壳,
you only stop the shell;
因为没有力量去停止它。
because nothing's made it stop.
因此,鸡蛋再次转动起来。
so the egg starts to rotate again.
of something in physics
of angular momentum,
that if you set something spinning
直到有外力迫使它停下。
unless you do something to stop it.
in how the universe works.
如果你是这样的人——
if you're the sort of person --
然后再放回到冰箱。
and then put them back in the fridge.
没关系,没人会品头论足。
it's OK. We won't judge you.
broader applicabilities.
它只观测太空很小的一部分。
which is a very tiny part of the sky.
已漂浮在太空中25年,
in free space for 25 years,
to a tiny region of sky.
it did it in sections,
像这样的精美图片。
to take amazing images like this.
不碰到其他东西?
that is not touching anything
of it, it has something
存在的东西不是生鸡蛋,
isn't a raw egg,
of conservation of angular momentum,
保持旋转、永不停息。
with the same axis, indefinitely.
and so it can orient itself.
因此它可以为自己导向。
同样的物理小定律,
we can play with in the kitchen and use,
我们这个时代产生了
some of the most advanced technology
你了解了这些模式,
that you learn these patterns
again and again and again.
会觉得非常有成就感。
when you spot them in new places.
to an audience full of businesspeople once
一些来自商业领域的人们,
试图给老板留下好印象。
and trying to impress their bosses.
就播放了刚才的鸡蛋视频,
so I showed the egg video and then said,
然后跟我确认是否正确”。
and ask me afterwards to check."
tugging on my sleeve afterwards,
他们激动地喊出“噢耶!”
from spotting these patterns
give you access
能够让你接触到
in our everyday world.
is it involves playing with toys.
被视为无聊小物而被忽视,
as the mundane little things
拿这种东西给孩子玩,
on a Saturday afternoon
that actually really matters,
宇宙定律应用在鸡蛋上,
and it applies to eggs
当然还有其它类似的现象。
and all sorts of other things,
运用的原理相同,
to modern technology
that's going on in the world.
我们应该学会玩转这些规律,
with these patterns.
当你使用厨房里的工具时,
number of concepts
using things in your kitchen,
这些概念也同样适用。
for life in the outside world.
鸭子就是一个不错的开始。
a duck is a good place to start,
脚蹼从来不会变凉?
don't get cold.
弄懂了一点热动力学,
of thermodynamics with the duck,
in your kitchen
and modern energy generation.
和现代能源产生的原理。
也是经常可以把玩的东西。
a good thing to play with.
可以从零食上取下点葡萄干,
fish some raisins out of the bar snacks,
不妨试试看;
to watch; try it.
the interesting people to you.
and gas laws and viscosity.
无处不在的小规律。
and they're right around us everywhere.
you don't need a big, posh lab.
不是只有光鲜的实验室里才会有。
I had the chapter on spin.
有一章是专门讲旋转的,
about toast falling butter-side down.
面包片抹了黄油那面先着地,
给一位非科学家朋友看,
who's not a scientist,
what he thought,
a couple of weeks later,
一家时尚酒店吃早餐,
in a posh hotel in Switzerland,
to push toast off the table,
he doesn't have to.
他根本没必要相信我,
自己试试就好啦!
and try it for himself.
to know about science:
有两件事非常重要:
through experience and experimentation,
得到的基本法则
苹果向上走,
好好辩论一下重力作用了。
已了解重力的作用原理,
we basically know how gravity works,
of experimentation:
对事情进行验证,
trying things out,
我们如何推动科学向前——
science forward --
通过日常生活中的玩具
in the everyday world.
about technology,
离我们很远的东西。
that are about this size,
依然生活在这么大的身体中,
sit on chairs that are about this size,
坐在这么大的椅子上,
means we're not helpless.
意味着我们不会有无助感,
没有无助感是非常重要的,
that we're not helpless,
是非常重要的,
要了解所有的答案,
about knowing all the answers.
so you can ask the right questions.
可以正确地提出问题。
little things in everyday life,
基本的小东西,
to ask the right questions.
when you know that --
你能够做些什么”——
in the everyday world
eggs in the fridge --
现在有了更深刻的答案。
and the curiosity
为何只有孩子能玩乐呢?
all the fun, right?
通过玩玩具来获得乐趣,
for studying physics, for example,
three life-support systems.
三个支撑我们生活的系统,
独立的生活支撑系统,
life-support system,
维持着我们的生存;
基本的物理定律运行着,
on the fundamental physical laws
with eggs and teacups and lemonade,
茶杯和柠檬水学到这些定律,
其它任何能玩的东西学到。
是一个严峻的问题的原因,
is such a serious problem,
两个生命支持系统:
life-support systems,
这就需要我们去确定界限。
and we need to negotiate that boundary.
that we can learn
周围世界的运转方式的
the world around us works,
to know about in life,
才会让你走得更远。
is going to get you a long way.
或类似事情带来的乐趣毫无兴趣,
in having fun with physics
but apparently, these people exist --
这样的人确实存在——
in keeping yourself alive
如何运转感兴趣。
is remarkably constant;
of things that we measure.
大量事物一样是恒定的,
发现一些新的量子力学,
some new quantum mechanics,
are still going to fall down.
你是怎么开始的?
world, in not being helpless,
对不感到无助有兴趣、
and adults do this --
成年人这么做——
and your brain goes, "Oh, that's weird."
大脑会反应“哦,这个好奇怪”,
"You're an adult. Keep going."
“你是个成年人了,别管它”。
hold that thought --
要抓住此时的想法——
"Oh, that's a bit odd,"
“哦,这有点怪”的想法,
there to play with,
any of those little moments
这非常有意思;
highly entertaining.
是如何干透的,
有点像看着油漆干透,
like watching paint dry,
非常值得观察。
it's worth watching.
if there are teacups around.
如果周围有茶杯的话。
to play with teacups, it's brilliant.
很多花样,超级棒。
is to get a teacup, get a spoon,
你拿一个茶杯和一个小勺,
然后仔细聆听,
push your toast off the table
把面包片推下桌子,
从中学到东西。
and you'll learn stuff from it.
that it doesn't fall butter-side down,
play with toys.
惧怕利用周围的工具
the physical world for ourselves
to understand society,
因为如果我们想了解社会、
生活中的一切所基于的框架,
on which everything else must be based.
our life-support systems going is great.
是如何运转的也很棒,
that we need to change
with weird people
我们都可以与它互动。
and we can all play with it.
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