氣壓計的歷史（以及它的運作原理） - Asaf Bar-Yosef：英語精讀講義

Aristotle famously said nature fears of empty space when he claimed that a true vacuum, 慣用語

亞里斯多德有一句名言：大自然害怕真空。他斷言，真正的真空，

a space devoid of matter, 用詞

即完全沒有物質的空間，

could not exist because the surrounding matter would immediately fill it.

是不可能存在的，因為周圍的物質會立刻將其填滿。

Fortunately,

幸運的是，

he turned out to be wrong. 片語動詞

事實證明他錯了。

A vacuum is a key component of the barometer, 片語搭配

真空是氣壓計的關鍵部件，

an instrument for measuring air pressure. 文法

氣壓計是測量氣壓的儀器。

And because air pressure correlates to temperature

由於氣壓與溫度有關，

and rapid shifts in it can contribute to hurricanes, 片語搭配

氣壓的快速變化可能引發颶風、

tornadoes, and other extreme weather events,

龍捲風和其他極端天氣事件，

a barometer is one of the most essential tools

因此氣壓計是最重要的工具之一，

for weather forecasters and scientists alike. 片語搭配

對天氣預報員和科學家來說同樣必不可少。

How does a barometer work and how was it invented? 表達脈絡

氣壓計是如何運作的？它又是如何被發明出來的？

Well, it took a while. 表達脈絡

這個過程經歷了一段漫長的時間。

Because the theory of Aristotle and other ancient philosophers

因為亞里斯多德和其他古代哲學家

regarding the impossibility of a vacuum

關於真空不可能存在的理論

seemed to hold true in everyday life, 片語搭配

在日常生活中似乎是正確的，

few seriously thought to question it 文法

很少有人認真地想去質疑它，

for nearly 2,000 years

這種狀態持續了將近兩千年，

until necessity raised the issue. 慣用語

直到實際需求提出了這個問題。

In the early 17th century,

在17世紀初，

Italian miners faced a serious problem

義大利礦工遇到了一個嚴重的問題，

when they found that their pumps

他們發現自己的水泵

could not raise water more than 10.3 m high. 用詞

無法將水抽到10.3公尺以上的高度。

Some scientists of the time,

當時的一些科學家，

including one Galileo Galilei,

包括伽利略·伽利萊，

proposed that sucking air out of the pipe 片語動詞

提出把管子裡的空氣抽出來

was what made water rise 文法

正是為了讓水上升

to replace the void,

去填補那個空隙，

but that its force was limited

但這種力量是有限的，

and could lift no more than 10.3 m of water. 文法

最多只能抽起10.3公尺高的水。

However,

然而，

the idea of a vacuum existing at all 片語搭配

真空是否存在的想法

was still considered controversial.

在當時仍然備受爭議。

And the excitement over Galileo's unorthodox theory

由於人們對伽利略非正統理論的熱烈反響，

led Gasparo Berti to conduct a simple but brilliant experiment 文法

促使加斯帕羅·貝爾蒂進行了一項簡單卻絕妙的實驗，

to demonstrate that it was possible.

以此證明真空的存在是可能的。

A long tube was filled with water 文法

一根裝滿水的長管

and placed standing in a shallow pool

被豎立放置在一個淺水池中，

with both ends plugged. 文法

管子的兩端都被堵住。

The bottom end of the tube

管子的底端

was then opened

隨後被打開，

and water poured out into the basin 片語動詞

水流進水盆中，

until the level of the water

直到水面高度

remaining in the tube was 10.3 m.

留在管內為10.3公尺。

With a gap remaining at the top 文法

此時管子的頂部留出了空隙，

and no air having entered the tube,

且沒有空氣進入管內，

Berti had succeeded 片語搭配

貝爾蒂成功地

in directly creating a stable vacuum.

直接創造出了一個穩定的真空。

But even though the possibility of a vacuum 文法

儘管存在真空的可能性

had been demonstrated,

已被證實，

not everyone was satisfied with Galileo's idea 片語搭配

但並非所有人都認同伽利略的觀點，

that this empty void was exerting 用詞

即認為這個虛無的空隙對水施加了

some mysterious yet finite force on the water.

某種神秘卻又有限的吸力。

Evangelista Torricelli,

埃萬傑利斯塔·托里切利，

Galileo's young pupil and friend,

這位伽利略年輕的學生兼朋友，

decided to look at the problem 慣用語

決定重新審視這個問題

from a different angle.

換個角度來看。

Instead of focusing on the empty space 文法

他沒有把焦點放在管內

inside the tube,

留下的空隙上，

he asked himself,

而是問自己，

what else could be influencing the water?

還有什麼可能在影響著水？

Because the only thing in contact 片語搭配

因為與水接觸的唯一事物

with the water was the air

就是池子周圍的

surrounding the pool,

空氣，

he believed the pressure

他認為這種空氣

from this air could be the only thing

產生的壓力可能是阻止管內

preventing the water level 文法

水面進一步

in the tube from dropping further.

下降的唯一原因。

He realized that the experiment

他意識到這個實驗

was not only a tool 文法

不僅僅是一個

to create a vacuum,

製造真空的工具，

but operated as a balance

而且是一個平衡裝置，

between the atmospheric pressure 用詞

在管外水面受到的

on the water outside the tube

大氣壓力

and the pressure from the water column

和管內

inside the tube.

水柱的壓力之間取得了平衡。

The water level in the tube

管內的水位

decreases until the two pressures are equal, 文法

不斷下降，直到這兩個壓力相等，

which just happens to be

而這正好發生在

when the water is at 10.3 m.

水高為10.3公尺的時候。

This idea was not easily accepted, 表達脈絡

這個想法很難被人們接受，

as Galileo and others had traditionally thought

因為伽利略和其他人歷來認為

that atmospheric air has no weight 用詞

大氣中的空氣沒有重量，

and exerts no pressure.

也不產生壓力。

Torricelli decided to repeat Berti's experiment

托里切利決定重複貝爾蒂的實驗，

with mercury instead of water. 片語搭配

用水銀代替水。

Because mercury was denser, 用詞

由於水銀的密度更大，

it fell farther than the water

它的下降幅度比水更大，

and the mercury column

最後水銀柱

stood only about 76 cm tall. 用詞

停留在只有約76公分高的地方。

Not only did this allow Torricelli 文法

這不僅讓托里切利能夠

to make the instrument much more compact,

使儀器變得小巧得多，

it supported his idea

也支持了他的觀點，

that weight was the deciding factor. 片語搭配

即重量才是決定性因素。

A variation on the experiment

實驗的另一種變體

used two tubes with one having a large bubble

使用了兩根管子，其中一根的頂部

at the top.

有一個大大的氣泡。

If Galileo's interpretation had been correct, 文法

如果伽利略的解釋是正確的，

the bigger vacuum in the second tube

那麼第二根管子中更大的真空區

should have exerted more suction

應該會產生更大的吸力，

and lifted the mercury higher.

從而將水銀吸得更高。

But the level in both tubes was the same. 表達脈絡

但兩根管子中的液面高度是一樣的。

The ultimate support for Torricelli's theory

對托里切利理論的最終支持

came via Blaise Pascal,

來自布萊茲·巴斯卡，

who had such a mercury tube 文法

他把這樣一根水銀管

taken up a mountain

帶到了一座山上，

and showed that the mercury level

並證明了水銀液面高度

dropped as the atmospheric pressure decreased with altitude. 文法

隨著大氣壓力隨海拔升高而降低，也跟著下降了。

Mercury barometers based on Torricelli's original model

基於托里切利最初模型製作的水銀氣壓計，

remained one of the most common ways 片語搭配

一直是測量大氣壓力

to measure atmospheric pressure until 2007,

最常用的方法之一，直到2007年，

when restrictions on the use of mercury 用詞

由於水銀的毒性

due to its toxicity

導致其使用受到限制，

led to them no longer being produced in Europe. 文法

從而使得歐洲不再生產水銀氣壓計。

Nevertheless,

儘管如此，

Torricelli's invention,

托里切利的發明，

born of the willingness to question 片語搭配

源於他勇於質疑

long-accepted dogmas about vacuums

人們長期接受的關於真空

and the weight of air,

和空氣重量的教條，

is an outstanding example

這是一個突出的例子，

of how thinking outside of the box, 慣用語

說明了「跳出框架」，

or the tube,

或者說「跳出管子」思考，

can have a heavy impact. 慣用語

能產生多麼重大的影響。