Li Wei Tan: The fascinating science of bubbles, from soap to champagne
譚麗薇: 關於泡泡的迷人科學:從肥皂到香檳
As a formulation scientist, Li Wei Tan is constantly finding ways to understand why something works and why it doesn't. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
during a beautiful summer afternoon.
我沿著塞納河散步。
floating on the riverbank,
巨大的泡泡在飄浮,
surrounded by a crowd.
旁邊圍著一群觀眾。
by asking for donations
tied with two strings.
綁著兩條繩子。
a pair of sticks for 10 euros,
有一名男子用十歐元買了一組,
passionate about bubbles.
to make the giant bubbles
巨大的泡泡,密訣在於
that the real tool is the bubble itself.
讓我們無法發現,
just children make while playing,
fascinating science to bubbles,
還有更多迷人的科學,
the science of creating bubbles
製造泡泡的科學,
the microscopic ones.
let's start with the soap bubble.
咱們就從肥皂泡泡開始吧。
再把它們做正確的混合。
constantly changing their colors.
常常會改變顏色。
at various directions
方向的光進行交互作用,
water molecules,
and one atom of oxygen -- H2O.
tend to curve inwards,
surface is like an elastic sheet.
就像是一張彈性床單一樣。
is constantly being pulled inwards
is what we call "surface tension."
我們所謂的「表面張力」。
reduces the surface tension of water,
水的表面張力,
and easier to form bubbles.
as a mathematical problem-solver.
數學的問題解決者。
to achieve geometry perfection.
要達成幾何上的完美。
with the least surface area
is always in the shape of a sphere.
總是球形的。
by sharing a common wall.
來節省材料。
are added together,
geometry arrangement.
four cities that are equally apart,
to connect these four cities.
來連結這四個城市。
length to connect these four cities?
最短的路徑是什麼?
by dipping it into the soapy water.
來找出答案。
永遠都會嘗試去
will always try to minimize
來做到這一點。
something you expected.
不是你所預期的。
to connect these four cities
between these two cities.
to minimize their surface area
它們的表面面積最小化,
來做到這一點。
in another perspective.
另一個視角來看泡泡。
at Marwell Zoo in Southern England,
瑪爾維動物園裡的企鵝小灣,
swim at speed under the water.
在水中快速游泳。
that the body of penguins
under the water
of utilizing the capability of bubbles
to dive a few hundred meters
the air under their feathers
as a cloud of bubbles.
形式將空氣釋出。
of water surrounding them,
at least 40 percent.
by the ship manufacturers.
thousands of containers across the ocean.
called "air lubricating system,"
叫做「空氣潤滑系統」,
a lot of air bubbles
the whole of the ship,
that reduces the water resistance
consumption for the ship
delivery systems for drugs and genes
of drugs and magnetic agents
move to this part of my hand,
我手的這個部分,
exactly where it's needed.
正確位置釋出。
the science of creating bubbles.
"ink formulation scientist."
that you use for your writing pens.
寫字筆中用的墨水。
(organic photovoltaics, OPVs)
how and why we want to remove the bubbles
solvents and additives
with the properties we want
或烘焙蛋糕一樣,
空氣泡泡被困在墨水當中。
will be trapped inside that ink.
about a different space
inside those inks
that is trapped inside.
removing them is not easy.
泡泡並不容易。
light-emitting diodes inks
二極體墨水來說,
for your smartphone, for example.
absorbed with oxygen and moisture
dark spots appear in the pixels.
in removing the microbubbles
a thin, long and tiny tube
inside the vacuum chamber,
squeezed out from the ink
from the ink that we produce,
我們所製造的墨水中除去,
rushing out from the champagne bottle.
有很多泡泡從香檳瓶中湧出。
filled with carbon dioxide,
the fermentation process of the wine.
發酵過程中產生的氣體。
有許多微小的泡泡,
to the top of the champagne.
到香檳的最上方。
of aroma molecules
the flavor of champagne.
passionate about bubbles,
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Li Wei Tan - Formulation scientistAs a formulation scientist, Li Wei Tan is constantly finding ways to understand why something works and why it doesn't.
Why you should listen
For Li Wei Tan, curiosity is a primary motivation of her work. A senior scientist for Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany in Chilworth, United Kingdom, she is responsible for developing ink formulations, new materials and integrations into the company's OPV portfolios, including providing technical advice to new customers. Previously, she worked in Merck's organic electronics R&D group. Her formal studies have straddled fields of nanotechnologies, material science and analytical chemistry.
Li Wei Tan | Speaker | TED.com