互联网有多重？：英语精读讲义

Hey, Vsauce,

嘿，Vsauce，

Michael here,

我是 Michael，

and this strawberry weighs about 50 grams,

这颗草莓重约 50 克，

which according to Russell Seitz, also happens to be the weight of the entire Internet. 短語搭配

而据 Russell Seitz 所说，这也恰好是整个互联网的重量。

Well, what does that mean?

那么，这是什么意思呢？

I mean, the Internet's a gigantic place,

我是说，互联网可是一个无比庞大的空间，

and how do you measure information?

那要怎么衡量信息呢？

Well, let's start a little bit smaller with the Kindle. 表達脈絡

好吧，我们先从小一点的 Kindle 说起。

Right now, I'm reading "Gadsby",

我现在正在读《Gadsby》，

which is a great novel that makes complete sense, 短語搭配

这是一本很棒、读起来完全合情合理的小说，

except it was written without ever using the letter E, 語法

只不过整本书从头到尾都没用过字母 E，

which is awesome.

这实在太酷了。

But when I put "Gadsby" on my Kindle, 用詞

不过，当我把《Gadsby》存进 Kindle 后，

did my Kindle gain weight? 短語搭配

我的 Kindle 变重了吗？

Well, theoretically, yes,

从理论上说，是的，

it did.

它确实变重了。

Information is stored on flash drives like this and on my Kindle in binary,

信息以二进制形式存储在像这样的 U 盘和我的 Kindle 里，

and that binary physically exists because electrons charge floating gate transistors.

而二进制数据之所以能以物理形式存在，是因为电子会使浮栅晶体管带电。

And the thing about electrons is that they have mass. 語法

电子的关键之处在于，它们有质量。

In fact, a professor at Berkeley estimated that when a Kindle is completely full of books,

事实上，加州大学伯克利分校的一位教授估算过，当一台 Kindle 装满电子书时，

its weight increases by about 10 to the -18th grams. 語法

它的重量会增加约 10 的负 18 次方克。

That number is mind-blowingly minuscule. 用詞

这个数字小得令人难以想象。

In fact, he says that when you fully charge a Kindle's battery,

实际上，他说，当你把 Kindle 的电池完全充满时，

it gains 100 million times more mass than it does when you fill it with books. 語法

它增加的质量，是装满电子书时的 1 亿倍。

But even then, 表達脈絡

但即便如此，

the number is impossible to measure.

这个数值仍然小到无法测量。

The most specific scales we have ever created only measure to about 10 to the -9th grams. 語法

我们制造过的最精密的秤，也只能测到约 10 的负 9 次方克。

So, let's get bigger.

所以，我们把尺度放大一点。

Russell Seitz came up with his measurement because the Internet is composed of networks of servers, 講解

Russell Seitz 会得出这个测量结果，是因为互联网由服务器网络构成，

and there are about 75 to 100 million servers operating to make the Internet work.

而为了让互联网运转，大约有 7500 万到 1 亿台服务器在运行。

Combined, that many servers equal about 40 billion watts of electricity,

这么多服务器加起来，耗电功率约为 400 亿瓦，

and we know that an amp is about 10 to the 18th electrons per second.

而我们知道，1 安培大约相当于每秒 10 的 18 次方个电子。

And since we know the weight of an electron, 語法

既然我们知道一个电子的质量，

we can calculate that the entire Internet is really just about 50 grams of electrons in motion.

就可以算出，整个互联网其实只相当于约 50 克正在运动的电子。

Now, that number only includes servers,

不过，这个数字只算了服务器，

and Seitz says that if you want to include the chips in personal computers as well,

Seitz 说，如果还想把个人电脑里的芯片也算进去，

the number is about three times larger. 語法

这个数字大约要再乘以三。

But there's a weight of the Internet that impresses me a little bit more.

但还有一种互联网重量的算法，更让我惊叹。

It's a calculation not of the energy it takes to serve the Internet, 語法

它计算的不是维持互联网运行所需的能量，

but the energy contained in the actual information,

而是实际信息本身所包含的能量，

the videos, the pictures, the emails.

也就是视频、图片和电子邮件。

How much do they all collectively weigh when stored?

那么，这些内容存储起来后，总共重多少呢？

Well, here's the thing. 表達脈絡

事情是这样的。

It takes about 8 billion electrons to store one email.

存储一封电子邮件大约需要 80 亿个电子。

8 billion sounds like a lot, 短語搭配

80 亿听起来很多，

but electrons are tiny,

但电子非常微小，

and so one email only weighs about 2 10,000ths of a quadrillionth of an ounce.

所以，一封电子邮件的重量只有约 2 × 10⁻¹⁹ 盎司。

But the Internet contains lots of emails,

可互联网里有海量的电子邮件，

and it contains lots of video and images and celebrity rumors.

也有大量视频、图片和名人八卦。

So, how much does it weigh altogether?

那么，所有这些加起来有多重？

Well, the first question we have to ask is how big is the Internet? 表達脈絡

首先要问的是：互联网到底有多大？

And that's difficult to calculate,

这很难计算，

but Eric Schmidt, then CEO of Google, 用詞

但时任 Google 首席执行官的 Eric Schmidt

once estimated that the entire Internet contains about 5 million terabytes of information,

曾估计，整个互联网包含约 500 万 TB 的信息，

of which he said Google has only indexed 講解

而据他说，Google 只索引了其中的

0.004%.

0.004%。

Okay, so not counting the energy it takes to deliver the Internet, 語法

好，所以先不计算传输互联网内容所需的能量，

the information itself on the Internet is about 5 million terabytes.

互联网上的信息本身约有 500 万 TB。

Now, we know how many electrons it takes to form a single byte, 語法

现在，我们知道构成一个字节需要多少个电子，

and we know the mass of an electron,

也知道一个电子的质量，

and so with a little bit of math, 短語搭配

所以，只要稍微算一下，

you can figure out that the entire Internet, everything on it, collectively only weighs 0.2 millionths of an ounce. 短語動詞

就会算出，整个互联网以及其中的一切加起来，总重量也只有 0.0000002 盎司。

Think of it this way. 表達脈絡

可以这样理解。

Every single video on YouTube, 表達脈絡

YouTube 上的每一个视频，

every single video across the entire web,

整个网络上的每一个视频，

every single image,

每一张图片，

every single website,

每一个网站，

every email you've sent,

你发过的每一封电子邮件，

every love letter you've written,

你写过的每一封情书，

every photo of your grandkids you've received,

你收到的每一张孙辈的照片，

is collectively held within an amount of mass about the size of the smallest possible grain of sand. 短語搭配

所有这些内容加起来的总质量，也不过相当于一粒最小沙子的质量。

If you follow @tweetsauce on Twitter,

如果你在 Twitter 上关注 @tweetsauce，

you can learn even more.

还可以了解更多内容。

I'm going to share some more facts there that I didn't include in this video around electricity in general.

我会在那里分享更多有关电的知识，都是本视频没有提到的。

Like us on Facebook to show that you're classy.

在 Facebook 上给我们点赞，证明你很有品位。

And as always,

一如既往，

thanks for watching.

感谢观看。