“物质”究竟是什么？：英语精读讲义

The simple questions are the hardest ones to answer.

越简单的问题越难回答。

What is a thing?

什么是事物？

Why do things happen?

为什么会发生这些事？

And why do they happen the way they do?

而且为什么它们会以这种方式发生？

Let's try to approach this step by step. 短語搭配

让我们一步步来探索。

What are you made of?

你是由什么构成的？

You are matter, which is made of molecules,

你是物质，由分子构成，

which are made of atoms,

分子由原子构成，

and those are made of elementary particles.

而原子由基本粒子构成。

But if elementary particles are the smallest things that exist,

但如果基本粒子是已知最小的物质，

what are they made of?

它们又是由什么构成的呢？

To answer a simple question,

为了回答这个简单的问题，

let's start simply.

让我们从最简单的开始。

Let's wipe the universe clean. 語法

让我们把宇宙清空。

Away with matter, antimatter, radiation, particles, anything. 語氣意圖

去掉物质、反物质、辐射、粒子等一切东西。

Now let's take a closer look at absolutely nothing. 短語搭配

现在让我们仔细看看这绝对的虚无。

What is empty space?

什么是真空空间？

Is it what we call a vacuum? 用詞

这就是我们所说的真空吗？

There are no atoms, no matter, nothing.

没有原子，没有物质，什么都没有。

Is it really all that empty? 語法

它真的那么空吗？

Nothing gives us the building blocks for everything. 習語

虚无为万物提供了基石。

In a sense, 表達脈絡

在某种意义上，

empty space is a lot like a vast calm ocean. 短語搭配

空无一物的空间很像一片广阔平静的海洋。

While the water is very still when nothing is happening,

虽然在没事发生时水面非常平静，

a stiff breeze can create some serious waves.

但一阵强风就能掀起巨大的波浪。

Our universe works a lot like this.

我们的宇宙运作方式与此非常相似。

There are these oceans everywhere.

到处都有这样的海洋。

Physicists call them fields. 用詞

物理学家称之为“场”。

This might be strange and new, 表達脈絡

这听起来可能既陌生又新奇，

but think about radiation, for example.

但以辐射为例来想想看。

By exciting what's known as the electromagnetic field, 講解

通过激发所谓的电磁场，

a little kink is created,

会产生一个小小的波动，

which is the particle we call the photon,

这就是我们称之为光子的粒子，

the particle that carries radiation.

也就是携带辐射的粒子。

We perceive it as light. 短語搭配

我们将其感知为光。

This isn't unique to light. 短語搭配

这并不是光所独有的。

Every particle in the universe is made this way.

宇宙中的每一个粒子都是这样产生的。

There are fields for every particle of matter,

每种物质粒子都有对应的场，

all with their own rules.

且各有各的规则。

For example,

例如，

along with the electromagnetic field,

除了电磁场之外，

there is an electron field everywhere in the universe,

宇宙中到处都存在电子场，

and little kinks in that field are electrons.

那个场里的小波动就是电子。

Altogether,

总的来说，

the fields of our universe can produce 17 particles,

我们宇宙的场可以产生17种粒子，

which can be divided into three categories. 短語搭配

它们可以分为三类。

The leptons and the quarks and the bosons.

轻子、夸克和玻色子。

Leptons consist of the electron as well as its cousins, 短語搭配

轻子包括电子及其表亲——

muon and tau particles.

μ子和τ子。

Each has an associated neutrino.

每一个都有相关联的中微子。

Then there are quarks.

然后是夸克。

The quarks are the nuclear family of particles. 習語

夸克是粒子界的“核心家庭”。

They're always found bound together in groups and pairs 用詞

它们总是成群或成对地结合在一起，

and make up protons and neutrons, 短語動詞

并构成了质子和中子，

which make up the nuclei of atoms.

而质子和中子又构成了原子核。

Together,

加起来，

the leptons and quarks are the matter particles.

轻子和夸克就是物质粒子。

They make up all the things you see,

它们构成了你看到的一切，

the air you breathe,

你呼吸的空气，

the sun that warms you,

温暖你的阳光，

the computer you're using right now to distract yourself from the stuff you should be doing. 短語搭配

还有你现在用来摸鱼不干正事的那台电脑。

But things don't just exist, 語法

但事物不仅仅是存在而已，

they also do stuff.

它们也会产生作用。

In some philosophical sense,

在某种哲学意义上，

the properties of a thing are just as much a part of it as existence itself. 語法

事物的属性就像它的存在本身一样，是其不可分割的一部分。

This is where the bosons and the fields that make them come into play. 習語

这就是玻色子以及产生它们的场发挥作用的地方。

While the quarks and leptons are made by matter fields,

夸克和轻子是由物质场产生的，

the bosons are made by force fields.

而玻色子则是由力场产生的。

We call a rule of the universe a force,

我们把宇宙的一项规则称为一种力，

and so far four fundamental forces have been discovered. 表達脈絡

到目前为止，已经发现了四种基本力。

Electromagnetism,

电磁力，

gravity,

引力，

and the strong and weak nuclear forces.

以及强核力和弱核力。

These forces are the rulebook of a game where the pieces are particles 表達脈絡

这些力是一场游戏中的规则手册，其中棋子是粒子，

and the game is the universe.

而这场游戏就是宇宙。

They tell particles what they can do and how they can do it. 語法

它们告诉粒子能做什么，以及该怎么做。

Bishops move diagonally,

主教走斜线，

massless particles move at the speed of light,

无质量粒子以光速移动，

knights can jump,

骑士可以跳跃，

gravity attracts.

引力会相互吸引。

The forces are the rules for how particles interact,

这些力就是粒子相互作用的规则，

which ultimately make them the rules for how particles assemble into all the big things we see in the universe.

这最终使它们成为粒子如何组装成我们在宇宙中看到的所有大物质的规则。

Gravity isn't just the rule for orbits around the sun or apples falling from trees.

引力不仅仅是围绕太阳公转或苹果从树上掉下来的规则。

As a rule, 習語

作为一条规则，

it says matter attracts,

它表明物质会相互吸引，

which builds planets and stars.

从而形成了行星和恒星。

Electromagnetism isn't just a rule for magnets attracting or repelling

电磁力不仅仅是磁铁相吸相斥的规则，

or electric currents in light bulbs.

也不是灯泡中电流的规则。

It governs all atomic bonds, 用詞

它掌管着所有原子键，

building every molecule.

构建了每一个分子。

Together,

综合起来，

forces and particles are sort of like the Tinker Toys of existence. 講解

力和粒子有点像构成存在的拼插玩具。

The bosons are like messengers,

玻色子就像信使，

passed between, you could say, connecting the matter particles, 語氣意圖

在物质粒子之间传递，可以说连接着它们，

which they use to tell each other how to move.

物质粒子通过它们互相告诉对方如何运动。

Each particle uses a certain set of the forces to interact with other particles.

每种粒子使用一组特定的力与其他粒子相互作用。

Quarks, for example,

例如夸克，

can interact with each other with electromagnetism and the strong nuclear force,

可以通过电磁力和强核力相互作用，

but electrons don't use the strong force,

但电子不使用强核力，

just electromagnetism.

只使用电磁力。

The quarks exchange strong force bosons,

夸克交换强核力玻色子，

communicating the strong nuclear attraction to each other,

向彼此传达强核吸引力，

while the protons they build exchange particles of electromagnetism,

而它们构成的质子则交换电磁力粒子（即光子）

photons, with the electrons.

与电子进行沟通。

Thus, the quarks end up locked up in nuclei, 短語動詞

因此，夸克最终被锁定在原子核中，

while the electrons remain attached by their electric attraction,

而电子则通过电吸引力保持附着，

building atoms.

构成了原子。

Even though the universe has lots of big messy phenomena like life, 語法

尽管宇宙中有许多巨大杂乱的现象，比如生命、

supernova, and computers that seem complex on the surface, 習語

超新星和表面上看起来很复杂的电脑，

if you zoom in far enough on anything, 短語動詞

如果你把任何事物放大到足够的程度，

you just get 17 particles emerging from underlying fields

你只会看到17种粒子从底层的场中涌现出来，

playing a game with four rules.

遵循四种规则玩着一场游戏。

To summarize, 表達脈絡

总而言之，

in the most basic form we know right now, 表達脈絡

就我们目前所知的最基本形式而言，

this is what things are.

事物就是这个样子的。

This theory is what physicists call the standard model of particle physics. 文化背景

这个理论被物理学家称为粒子物理学的标准模型。

You are basically nothing more than disturbances on an ocean that's excited by energy 講解

你基本上只不过是海洋上的扰动，由能量激发，

and guided by forces that make up the rules of the universe.

并由构成宇宙规则的力所引导。

But why?

但这是为什么呢？

And what is a force?

什么是力？

We'll have to explore a few more simple questions

我们将不得不探索更多简单的问题

to get to the bottom of this. 習語

来弄清楚这一切。

We made some wallpapers from some of the graphics in this video.

我们用这个视频中的一些图表制作了壁纸。

You can get them on patreon.com.

你可以在patreon.com上获取它们。

If you want to help us make more videos,

如果你想帮助我们制作更多视频，

you can do so there.

你可以在那里支持我们。

We really appreciate your support.

非常感谢你的支持。

While you decide,

在你决定的时候，

here are some more videos we made.

这里还有一些我们制作的视频。