網際網路有多重？：英語精讀講義

Hey, Vsauce,

嘿，Vsauce，

Michael here,

我是 Michael，

and this strawberry weighs about 50 grams,

這顆草莓重約 50 公克，

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

而根據 Russell Seitz 的說法，這也正好是整個網路的重量。

Well, what does that mean?

那麼，這是什麼意思呢？

I mean, the Internet's a gigantic place,

我的意思是，網路可是個無比龐大的空間，

and how do you measure information?

那要怎麼衡量資訊呢？

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

好吧，我們先從小一點的 Kindle 談起。

Right now, I'm reading "Gadsby",

我現在正在讀《Gadsby》，

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

這是一本很棒、讀起來完全合情合理的小說，

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

只不過整本書從頭到尾都沒用過字母 E，

which is awesome.

這實在太酷了。

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

不過，當我把《Gadsby》存進 Kindle 後，

did my Kindle gain weight? 片語搭配

我的 Kindle 變重了嗎？

Well, theoretically, yes,

理論上來說，是的，

it did.

它確實變重了。

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

資訊以二進位形式儲存在像這樣的隨身碟和我的 Kindle 裡，

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

而二進位資料之所以能以物理形式存在，是因為電子會使浮動閘極電晶體帶電。

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

電子的關鍵在於，它們有質量。

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

事實上，加州大學柏克萊分校的一位教授估算過，當一台 Kindle 裝滿電子書時，

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

它的重量會增加約 10 的負 18 次方公克。

That number is mind-blowingly minuscule. 用詞

這個數字小得令人難以想像。

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

事實上，他說，當你把 Kindle 的電池完全充飽時，

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

它增加的質量，是裝滿電子書時的 1 億倍。

But even then, 表達脈絡

但即使如此，

the number is impossible to measure.

這個數值仍然小到無法測量。

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

我們製造過最精密的秤，也只能測到約 10 的負 9 次方公克。

So, let's get bigger.

所以，我們把尺度放大一點。

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

Russell Seitz 會得出這個測量結果，是因為網路由許多伺服器網路組成，

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

而為了讓網路運作，大約有 7,500 萬到 1 億台伺服器正在運轉。

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

這麼多伺服器加起來，耗電功率約為 400 億瓦，

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

而我們知道，1 安培大約相當於每秒 10 的 18 次方個電子。

And since we know the weight of an electron, 文法

既然我們知道一個電子的質量，

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

就可以算出，整個網路其實只相當於約 50 公克正在移動的電子。

Now, that number only includes servers,

不過，這個數字只算了伺服器，

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

Seitz 說，如果還想把個人電腦裡的晶片也算進去，

the number is about three times larger. 文法

這個數字大約要再乘以三。

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

但還有另一種網路重量的算法，更讓我驚嘆。

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

它計算的不是維持網路運作所需的能量，

but the energy contained in the actual information,

而是實際資訊本身所含的能量，

the videos, the pictures, the emails.

也就是影片、圖片和電子郵件。

How much do they all collectively weigh when stored?

那麼，這些內容儲存起來後，總共重多少呢？

Well, here's the thing. 表達脈絡

事情是這樣的。

It takes about 8 billion electrons to store one email.

儲存一封電子郵件大約需要 80 億個電子。

8 billion sounds like a lot, 片語搭配

80 億聽起來很多，

but electrons are tiny,

但電子非常微小，

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

所以，一封電子郵件的重量只有約 2 × 10⁻¹⁹ 盎司。

But the Internet contains lots of emails,

可是網路裡有海量的電子郵件，

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

還有大量影片、圖片和名人八卦。

So, how much does it weigh altogether?

那麼，所有這些加起來有多重？

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

首先要問的是：網路到底有多大？

And that's difficult to calculate,

這很難計算，

but Eric Schmidt, then CEO of Google, 用詞

但當時擔任 Google 執行長的 Eric Schmidt

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

曾估計，整個網路包含約 500 萬 TB 的資訊，

of which he said Google has only indexed 講解

而他說，Google 僅索引了其中的

0.004%.

0.004%。

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

好，所以先不計算傳送網路內容所需的能量，

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

網路上的資訊本身約有 500 萬 TB。

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

現在，我們知道構成一個位元組需要多少個電子，

and we know the mass of an electron,

也知道一個電子的質量，

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

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. 片語動詞

就會算出，整個網路以及其中的一切加起來，總重量也只有 0.0000002 盎司。

Think of it this way. 表達脈絡

可以這樣理解。

Every single video on YouTube, 表達脈絡

YouTube 上的每一支影片，

every single video across the entire web,

整個網路上的每一支影片，

every single image,

每一張圖片，

every single website,

每一個網站，

every email you've sent,

你寄過的每一封電子郵件，

every love letter you've written,

你寫過的每一封情書，

every photo of your grandkids you've received,

你收到的每一張孫兒孫女的照片，

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

所有這些內容加起來的總質量，也不過相當於一粒最小沙子的質量。

If you follow @tweetsauce on Twitter,

如果你在 Twitter 上追蹤 @tweetsauce，

you can learn even more.

還可以知道更多。

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

我會在那裡分享更多有關電的知識，都是這支影片沒有提到的。

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

到 Facebook 幫我們按讚，證明你很有品味。

And as always,

一如往常，

thanks for watching.

謝謝收看。