被观察时会发生改变的诡异实验：英语精读讲义

The double-slit experiment defies our understanding. 短語搭配

双缝实验颠覆了我们的认知。

It involves a laser shooting beams of light particles called photons at a screen with two parallel slits.

该实验需要用激光向一个带有两条平行狭缝的屏幕发射被称为“光子”的光粒子束。

If we mark all the spots where the photons hit the second wall,

如果我们把光子击中第二面墙的所有落点都标记出来，

we should expect to see two strips to correspond with the two slits. 短語搭配

我们理应会看到与两条狭缝相对应的两条光带。

But that's not what we see. 表達脈絡

但我们看到的却并非如此。

Instead, we see an alternating pattern of light and dark bands.

相反，我们看到的是明暗相间的交错图案。

This is characteristic of the behavior of waves that pass through both slits simultaneously, 短語搭配

这种现象属于波同时穿过两条狭缝时的典型行为特征，

interfering with each other to create the pattern on the second screen. 用詞

它们相互干涉，在第二块屏幕上形成了这种图案。

The bright lines are where the top of waves meet,

明亮的线条是波峰相遇的地方，

resulting in a more intense or brighter area on the screen. 語法

导致屏幕上出现强度更高、更亮的区域。

The darker bands are where the top of one wave meets the bottom of another,

较暗的条纹是一个波的波峰与另一个波的波谷相遇的地方，

so they cancel each other out, 短語動詞

它们相互抵消，

resulting in a less intense or darker area on the screen.

导致屏幕上出现强度较低、较暗的区域。

Here is a photo of a real interference pattern.

这是一张真实干涉图案的照片。

The original double-slit experiment was conducted in 1801 by British polymath Thomas Young.

最初的双缝实验是由英国博学家托马斯·杨在1801年进行的。

Since then, it's been performed with various types of particles, 表達脈絡

从那时起，人们用各种类型的粒子进行了实验，

including electrons,

包括电子，

and they were found to behave in the same way. 語法

发现它们的行为方式是相同的。

This phenomenon occurs even if the photons are fired one at a time, 短語搭配

即使每次只发射一个光子，这种现象依然会发生，

which suggests that the photon is interfering with itself as if it passes through both slits at once. 語法

这表明光子似乎在自我干涉，就好像它同时穿过了两条狭缝一样。

Physicists were so stumped that they decided to observe which slit the particle went through. 語法

物理学家们对此百思不得其解，于是决定观测粒子到底穿过了哪条狭缝。

And that's when things get really weird. 表達脈絡

而这正是事情变得极其诡异的时刻。

When scientists used a measuring device to observe the slit that each photon passed through,

当科学家用测量仪器观察每个光子穿过的狭缝时，

the interference pattern disappeared,

干涉图案消失了，

and the photons started behaving like particles.

光子开始像粒子一样表现。

Instead of the spectrum of light and dark bands, 短語搭配

我们看到的不再是明暗相间的带状光谱，

we see two bright bands,

而是两条明亮的光带，

indicating that the photons chose one slit or the other.

这表明光子只选择了一条狭缝通过。

So light can display characteristics of both particles and waves,

因此，光可以同时表现出粒子和波的特性，

known as wave-particle duality. 用詞

这被称为“波粒二象性”。

It appears that light decides to behave as a wave when it's not being watched

似乎光在未被观察时会决定以波的形式表现，

and acts like a particle when it is being measured.

而在被测量时则表现得像粒子。

The mere act of observing which slit it went through changed the behavior of the photons, 短語搭配

仅仅是观察光子穿过哪条狭缝的行为，就改变了光子的表现，

almost as if they were aware they were being watched.

仿佛它们能察觉到自己正在被注视。

It's kind of like how in a video game, 表達脈絡

这有点像在电子游戏中，

the environment and objects only load when the player focuses on or interacts with them.

只有当玩家关注或与环境及物体互动时，它们才会被加载。

The entire world isn't rendered all at once, 短語搭配

整个世界并不是一次性渲染完毕的，

allowing the game to save processing power and optimize resources.

这样可以让游戏节省处理能力并优化资源。

Likewise, light seems to behave like waves,

同样地，光似乎也表现得像波一样，

but when we observe it,

但是当我们观察它时，

it's as if we're loading its properties,

就好像我们在加载它的属性，

causing it to change and act like particles.

导致它发生改变并表现得像粒子。

Physicist Richard Feynman famously said,

物理学家理查德·费曼曾有一句名言：

"The double-slit experiment is absolutely impossible to explain in any classical way,

“双缝实验绝对无法用任何经典物理学来解释，

and has in it the heart of quantum mechanics." 習語

它包含了量子力学的核心。”

In reality, it contains the only mystery.

事实上，它包含了唯一的谜团。

The most widely accepted theory to explain this phenomenon comes from physicist Niels Bohr,

解释这一现象的最广为接受的理论来自物理学家尼尔斯·玻尔，

who proposed that particles like photons don't have definite properties until they're observed. 語法

他提出，像光子这样的粒子在被观察之前并没有确定的属性。

So in the case of light,

所以在光的情况下，

photons exist in a wave-like form representing a range of possible positions until they are observed. 短語搭配

光子以波状形式存在，代表了所有可能位置的范围，直到它们被观察为止。

When we measure or observe the particle,

当我们测量或观察该粒子时，

we force it to choose a definite state, 語法

我们迫使它选择一个确定的状态，

behaving like particles.

从而表现得像粒子。

This is called the Copenhagen interpretation, 文化背景

这被称为哥本哈根诠释，

named in honor of Bohr's home city.

以玻尔的家乡命名。

However, to this day, 短語搭配

然而，直到今天，

no one knows why observing a particle causes its behavior to change.

没人知道为什么观察一个粒子会导致其行为发生改变。

Not everyone was a fan of Bohr's theory. 語法

并非所有人都支持玻尔的理论。

Einstein disagreed that particles could be in multiple states at once until observed.

爱因斯坦不同意粒子在被观察之前能同时处于多种状态的观点。

He was uncomfortable with the inherent randomness of such an interpretation

他对这种诠释所固有的随机性感到不安，

and famously said,

并说出了一句名言：

"God does not play dice with the universe." 習語

“上帝不会和宇宙掷骰子。”

Einstein believed that the universe followed a consistent set of rules,

爱因斯坦相信宇宙遵循着一套始终如一的法则，

like how his general relativity theory predicted the motion of planets around the sun.

就像他的广义相对论预测了行星围绕太阳的运动一样。

He spent his later years trying to develop a unified theory that explained everything in the universe, 語法

他在晚年致力于提出一个能解释宇宙中一切事物的统一理论，

but he didn't succeed.

但他没有成功。

Physicists recently conducted a variation on the double-slit experiment.

最近，物理学家对双缝实验进行了一次变体测试。

In April 2023,

2023年4月，

researchers at Imperial College London swapped out the screen with two slits 短語動詞

伦敦帝国学院的研究人员将带有两条狭缝的屏幕

for a transparent material used in smartphone screens called ITO.

换成了智能手机屏幕中使用的透明材料，称为ITO。

They first fired a laser beam at the material.

他们首先向该材料发射了一束激光。

When a second laser was directed at the material and pulsed super quickly in quadrillionths of a second, 用詞

当第二束激光指向该材料，并在千万亿分之一秒内极速脉冲时，

it caused the material to become temporarily reflective.

导致该材料暂时具有反射性。

The interaction of laser two with the material changed the frequency, and therefore the color, 語法

第二束激光与该材料的相互作用改变了频率，也就是改变了

of the light from laser one that was reflected off the material.

从材料上反射出来的第一束激光的光的颜色。

This experiment shows that by manipulating time, 語法

这个实验表明，通过操纵时间

rather than space,

而不是空间，

they were able to create interference patterns

他们能够创造出干涉图案，

similar to the interference observed in the original double-slit experiment.

与在最初的双缝实验中观察到的干涉类似。

There are certain things in life we take for granted. 習語

生活中有些事情我们认为是理所当然的。

If you don't get enough sleep, 語法

如果你睡眠不足，

you'll feel tired and groggy.

你就会感到疲劳和昏昏沉沉。

If you drive recklessly,

如果你鲁莽驾驶，

you're more likely to get into an accident. 語法

你就更容易发生车祸。

But sometimes there are principles that govern our lives that we just can't explain. 用詞

但有时候，主导我们生活的一些法则我们就是无法解释。

The perplexing result of the double-slit experiment is up for interpretation, 習語

双缝实验令人费解的结果还有待诠释，

with some suggestions that this is evidence our world could be programmed.

有人提出，这正是我们的世界可能是被编程出来的证据。

So far, not even the best scientific minds can explain the bizarre behavior of particles,

到目前为止，即使是最顶尖的科学家也无法解释粒子的这种奇异行为，

at least not yet. 語氣意圖

至少目前还不能。

There are many puzzles that are perplexing.

有许多难题令人费解。

For example,

举个例子，

can you tell what's wrong with the gears Leonardo da Vinci wanted to use in his military tank design from the 15th century?

你能看出列奥纳多·达·芬奇在15世纪设计的军用坦克中，他想使用的齿轮有什么问题吗？

This is one of the thousands of problems you'll find on Brilliant,

这只是你在 Brilliant 上能找到的数千个问题之一，

a website and app where you can learn STEM interactively.

Brilliant 是一个可以通过互动学习 STEM 知识的网站和应用程序。

My viewers especially love Brilliant's lessons in computer science, data science, and math.

我的观众特别喜欢 Brilliant 的计算机科学、数据科学和数学课程。

Da Vinci's tank design had a flaw in its gear mechanism,

达·芬奇的坦克设计在其齿轮机构上存在缺陷，

causing the front and back wheels to rotate in opposite directions,

导致前后轮会向相反的方向转动，

so the tank will never be able to move at all. 語法

所以这辆坦克根本无法移动。

This was possibly an oversight or an intentional mistake 用詞

这可能是一个疏忽，也可能是个故意的错误，

to protect his design from being built without his support. 語法

旨在防止别人在没有他支持的情况下把他的设计建造出来。

For more puzzling questions like these,

如果你想探索更多类似烧脑的问题，

you can check out Brilliant for free for 30 days by heading to the custom link in my description.

可以通过我简介里的专属链接前往 Brilliant 免费体验30天。

brilliant.org/newsthink.

brilliant.org/newsthink。

And the first 200 people who sign up with my link

前200名使用我的链接注册的用户

will get 20% off their premium subscription,

将享受高级订阅的八折优惠，

which gives you access to all the offerings.

让你能够访问所有课程内容。

Thanks for watching.

感谢观看。

I'm Cindy Pom.

我是 Cindy Pom。