Helen Czerski: The fascinating physics of everyday life
海倫賽斯基: 日常生活中的迷人物理
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.
needs a little modification.
需要做些細微的修正。
I don't live here anymore.
不過現在不住這裡了。
that I have a northern nana,
我有個來自北部地區外婆,
she hasn't had much formal education,
studying physics at Cambridge,
大二學生的時候,
at Nana's house in Urmston
都在外婆位於厄姆斯頓的房子裡,
open in front of me
hieroglyphics -- let's be honest.
說真的,根本就是象形文字。
and she looked at this folder,
about what was on the page.
and Einstein A and B coefficients.
和愛因斯坦 A、B 係數。
I could think of at the time.
because it's a very good question --
因為它是個非常好的問題:
when "that" is physics?
「那些」指的是物理。
we talk about physics in society
和我們對它的印象時,
that we can do when we know that.
needs a bit of a shift.
matters for our society,
對我們的社會很重要。
because I'm a physicist and I'm biased
我是物理學家或是偏心,
是世界上最重要的人。
important people in the world.
an image problem, let's be honest --
that's from the Solvay Conference in 1927.
來自 1927 年的索爾維會議。
of physics were grappling
only to have a probability
(註:不知道它的確切位置)
外貌嚴肅、身著西裝的男子。
very stern-looking men in suits.
"Marie Antoinette,"
(註:上斷頭台的法國皇后)
on the bottom there,
但必須穿得和其他人一樣。
but had to dress like everybody else.
總有各式各樣的象形文字。
there's all these kinds of hieroglyphics,
兩個黑洞互撞的印象,
of two black holes colliding,
worth watching, to be honest.
寫風險評估報告。
the risk assessment
the image of physics, right?
dressed in a slightly strange way.
is that I'm a physicist,
between the atmosphere and the ocean.
the ocean is massive,
that joins them together
從一個大儲存器到另一個。
from one huge reservoir to the other.
──我拍了這影片──
that was me who took this video --
平均高度是 10 公尺。
by the way, was 10 meters.
happening here --
this is definitely physics.
in our cultural perception of physics,
我們對物理的文化認知中,
in our cultural perception of physics?
there has to be a graph, right?
我一定得要有張圖,對嗎?
from very fast things there,
這邊是非常快速移動的事物,
big things up there.
of physics looks like this.
down in that corner,
in the general ...
for everyday life.
時間尺度,它差得很遠。
which is up there;
in the beginning of the universe,
會在後面連到一塊兒,
in physics, right?
to discover new physics
there's a very large gap in the middle.
中間有很大的鴻溝。
and volcanoes and clouds
that make up our everyday life.
you'd be surprised --
it's just that nobody talks about it.
is that they all run
of physical laws,
applies over a huge range,
to very, very big things.
到非常、非常大的。
to get outside of this.
in research physics here,
尚未完全開拓的疆界,
they bring about
混亂、複雜的世界。
complex world we live in.
that really matters to me
每天都很重要的一點,
that we don't talk about.
research going on here.
pointing at stars,
think it's not that.
is that there are so many things
都看得到那些法則。
and one of them has been boiled.
have tried that, you all knew.
you set them spinning,
the one that's completely solid,
也就是內部完全凝固的蛋,
you only stop the shell;
你只停住了蛋殼;
因為沒東西讓它停下來,
because nothing's made it stop.
所以蛋又繼續轉。
so the egg starts to rotate again.
of something in physics
of angular momentum,
that if you set something spinning
不然它會一直轉下去。
unless you do something to stop it.
這是非常基礎的法則。
in how the universe works.
if you're the sort of person --
如果你是那種人的話──
and then put them back in the fridge.
沒關係。我們不會評斷你。
it's OK. We won't judge you.
broader applicabilities.
which is a very tiny part of the sky.
非常微小的一部份。
in free space for 25 years,
to a tiny region of sky.
it did it in sections,
to take amazing images like this.
任何東西的情況下,
that is not touching anything
of it, it has something
isn't a raw egg,
of conservation of angular momentum,
with the same axis, indefinitely.
and so it can orient itself.
we can play with in the kitchen and use,
some of the most advanced technology
that you learn these patterns
你能學到這些形式,
again and again and again.
會很有成就感。
when you spot them in new places.
to an audience full of businesspeople once
放給商業界的觀眾看,
and trying to impress their bosses.
想要讓老闆印象深刻。
so I showed the egg video and then said,
所以播完雞蛋影片後,我說:
之後再來跟我確認答案。」
and ask me afterwards to check."
tugging on my sleeve afterwards,
他們就說:「太好了!」
from spotting these patterns
give you access
in our everyday world.
is it involves playing with toys.
不該被視為是平凡的小東西,
as the mundane little things
on a Saturday afternoon
that actually really matters,
and it applies to eggs
and all sorts of other things,
to modern technology
that's going on in the world.
with these patterns.
number of concepts
using things in your kitchen,
for life in the outside world.
鴨子就是個很好的起點,
a duck is a good place to start,
don't get cold.
of thermodynamics with the duck,
in your kitchen
以及現代發電方法。
and modern energy generation.
a good thing to play with.
它向來是很好玩的。
拿點吧台上的葡萄乾點心,
fish some raisins out of the bar snacks,
to watch; try it.
the interesting people to you.
來到你身邊。
and gas laws and viscosity.
and they're right around us everywhere.
you don't need a big, posh lab.
不需要大型、奢侈的實驗室。
I had the chapter on spin.
有一章是關於旋轉的。
about toast falling butter-side down.
塗著奶油的那面落地。
不是科學家的朋友看,
who's not a scientist,
what he thought,
a couple of weeks later,
一間豪華飯店吃早餐,
in a posh hotel in Switzerland,
to push toast off the table,
he doesn't have to.
and try it for himself.
to know about science:
through experience and experimentation,
所學來的基礎法則是有用的。
地心引力是如何運作的,
we basically know how gravity works,
of experimentation:
trying things out,
science forward --
in the everyday world.
about technology,
that are about this size,
大約這麼大的身體當中,
sit on chairs that are about this size,
坐在這麼大的椅子上,
means we're not helpless.
意味著我們並非是無助的。
that we're not helpless,
about knowing all the answers.
so you can ask the right questions.
讓你能問出正確的問題。
little things in everyday life,
來問出正確的問題,
to ask the right questions.
when you know that --
in the everyday world
eggs in the fridge --
and the curiosity
各種樂趣和好奇心。
all the fun, right?
for studying physics, for example,
three life-support systems.
三項生命維持系統:
life-support system,
on the fundamental physical laws
with eggs and teacups and lemonade,
就可以學到的法則。
is such a serious problem,
life-support systems,
and we need to negotiate that boundary.
that we can learn
the world around us works,
to know about in life,
is going to get you a long way.
in having fun with physics
but apparently, these people exist --
in keeping yourself alive
is remarkably constant;
of things that we measure.
some new quantum mechanics,
are still going to fall down.
「要從何開始?從何處著手?」
world, in not being helpless,
不想要感到無助,
and adults do this --
and your brain goes, "Oh, that's weird."
"You're an adult. Keep going."
「你是成年人了,繼續前進。」
hold that thought --
"Oh, that's a bit odd,"
there to play with,
any of those little moments
極有娛樂性。
highly entertaining.
有點像是看著油漆乾涸,
like watching paint dry,
it's worth watching.
if there are teacups around.
如果那兒有茶杯的話。
to play with teacups, it's brilliant.
is to get a teacup, get a spoon,
push your toast off the table
and you'll learn stuff from it.
且你會從中學到東西。
that it doesn't fall butter-side down,
方式把吐司推下餐桌,
play with toys.
the physical world for ourselves
to understand society,
on which everything else must be based.
our life-support systems going is great.
生命維持系統也很棒。
改變談論物理的方式,
that we need to change
with weird people
and we can all play with it.
我們都能跟它玩。
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