「物質」究竟是什麼？：英語精讀講義

The simple questions are the hardest ones to answer.

越簡單的問題越難回答。

What is a thing?

什麼是事物？

Why do things happen?

為什麼會發生這些事？

And why do they happen the way they do?

而且為什麼它們會以這種方式發生？

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

讓我們一步步來探索。

What are you made of?

你是由什麼構成的？

You are matter, which is made of molecules,

你是物質，由分子構成，

which are made of atoms,

分子由原子構成，

and those are made of elementary particles.

而原子由基本粒子構成。

But if elementary particles are the smallest things that exist,

但如果基本粒子是已知最小的物質，

what are they made of?

它們又是由什麼構成的呢？

To answer a simple question,

為了回答這個簡單的問題，

let's start simply.

讓我們從最簡單的開始。

Let's wipe the universe clean. 文法

讓我們把宇宙清空。

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

去掉物質、反物質、輻射、粒子等一切東西。

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

現在讓我們仔細看看這絕對的虛無。

What is empty space?

什麼是真空空間？

Is it what we call a vacuum? 用詞

這就是我們所說的真空嗎？

There are no atoms, no matter, nothing.

沒有原子，沒有物質，什麼都沒有。

Is it really all that empty? 文法

它真的那麼空嗎？

Nothing gives us the building blocks for everything. 慣用語

虛無為萬物提供了基石。

In a sense, 表達脈絡

在某種意義上，

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

空無一物的空間很像一片廣闊平靜的海洋。

While the water is very still when nothing is happening,

雖然在沒事發生時水面非常平靜，

a stiff breeze can create some serious waves.

但一陣強風就能掀起巨大的波浪。

Our universe works a lot like this.

我們的宇宙運作方式與此非常相似。

There are these oceans everywhere.

到處都有這樣的海洋。

Physicists call them fields. 用詞

物理學家稱之為「場」。

This might be strange and new, 表達脈絡

這聽起來可能既陌生又新奇，

but think about radiation, for example.

但以輻射為例來想想看。

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

透過激發所謂的電磁場，

a little kink is created,

會產生一個小小的波動，

which is the particle we call the photon,

這就是我們稱之為光子的粒子，

the particle that carries radiation.

也就是攜帶輻射的粒子。

We perceive it as light. 片語搭配

我們將其感知為光。

This isn't unique to light. 片語搭配

這並不是光所獨有的。

Every particle in the universe is made this way.

宇宙中的每一個粒子都是這樣產生的。

There are fields for every particle of matter,

每種物質粒子都有對應的場，

all with their own rules.

且各有各的規則。

For example,

例如，

along with the electromagnetic field,

除了電磁場之外，

there is an electron field everywhere in the universe,

宇宙中到處都存在電子場，

and little kinks in that field are electrons.

那個場裡的小波動就是電子。

Altogether,

總的來說，

the fields of our universe can produce 17 particles,

我們宇宙的場可以產生17種粒子，

which can be divided into three categories. 片語搭配

它們可以分為三類。

The leptons and the quarks and the bosons.

輕子、夸克和玻色子。

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

輕子包括電子及其表親——

muon and tau particles.

緲子和陶子。

Each has an associated neutrino.

每一個都有相關聯的微中子。

Then there are quarks.

然後是夸克。

The quarks are the nuclear family of particles. 慣用語

夸克是粒子界的「核心家庭」。

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

它們總是成群或成對地結合在一起，

and make up protons and neutrons, 片語動詞

並構成了質子和中子，

which make up the nuclei of atoms.

而質子和中子又構成了原子核。

Together,

加起來，

the leptons and quarks are the matter particles.

輕子和夸克就是物質粒子。

They make up all the things you see,

它們構成了你看到的一切，

the air you breathe,

你呼吸的空氣，

the sun that warms you,

溫暖你的陽光，

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

還有你現在用來摸魚不幹正事的那台電腦。

But things don't just exist, 文法

但事物不僅僅是存在而已，

they also do stuff.

它們也會產生作用。

In some philosophical sense,

在某種哲學意義上，

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

事物的屬性就像它的存在本身一樣，是其不可分割的一部分。

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

這就是玻色子以及產生它們的場發揮作用的地方。

While the quarks and leptons are made by matter fields,

夸克和輕子是由物質場產生的，

the bosons are made by force fields.

而玻色子則是由力場產生的。

We call a rule of the universe a force,

我們把宇宙的一項規則稱為一種力，

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

到目前為止，已經發現了四種基本力。

Electromagnetism,

電磁力，

gravity,

重力，

and the strong and weak nuclear forces.

以及強核力和弱核力。

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

這些力是一場遊戲中的規則手冊，其中棋子是粒子，

and the game is the universe.

而這場遊戲就是宇宙。

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

它們告訴粒子能做什麼，以及該怎麼做。

Bishops move diagonally,

主教走斜線，

massless particles move at the speed of light,

無質量粒子以光速移動，

knights can jump,

騎士可以跳躍，

gravity attracts.

重力會相互吸引。

The forces are the rules for how particles interact,

這些力就是粒子交互作用的規則，

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

這最終使它們成為粒子如何組裝成我們在宇宙中看到的所有大物質的規則。

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

重力不僅僅是圍繞太陽公轉或蘋果從樹上掉下來的規則。

As a rule, 慣用語

作為一條規則，

it says matter attracts,

它表明物質會相互吸引，

which builds planets and stars.

從而形成了行星和恆星。

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

電磁力不僅僅是磁鐵相吸相斥的規則，

or electric currents in light bulbs.

也不是燈泡中電流的規則。

It governs all atomic bonds, 用詞

它掌管著所有原子鍵，

building every molecule.

構建了每一個分子。

Together,

綜合起來，

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

力和粒子有點像構成存在的拼插玩具。

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

在物質粒子之間傳遞，可以說連接著它們，

which they use to tell each other how to move.

物質粒子透過它們互相告訴對方如何運動。

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

每種粒子使用一組特定的力與其他粒子交互作用。

Quarks, for example,

例如夸克，

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

可以透過電磁力和強核力交互作用，

but electrons don't use the strong force,

但電子不使用強核力，

just electromagnetism.

只使用電磁力。

The quarks exchange strong force bosons,

夸克交換強核力玻色子，

communicating the strong nuclear attraction to each other,

向彼此傳達強核吸引力，

while the protons they build exchange particles of electromagnetism,

而它們構成的質子則交換電磁力粒子（即光子）

photons, with the electrons.

與電子進行溝通。

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

因此，夸克最終被鎖定在原子核中，

while the electrons remain attached by their electric attraction,

而電子則透過電吸引力保持附著，

building atoms.

構成了原子。

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

儘管宇宙中有許多巨大雜亂的現象，比如生命、

supernova, and computers that seem complex on the surface, 慣用語

超新星和表面上看起來很複雜的電腦，

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

如果你把任何事物放大到足夠的程度，

you just get 17 particles emerging from underlying fields

你只會看到17種粒子從底層的場中湧現出來，

playing a game with four rules.

遵循四種規則玩著一場遊戲。

To summarize, 表達脈絡

總而言之，

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

就我們目前所知的最基本形式而言，

this is what things are.

事物就是這個樣子的。

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

這個理論被物理學家稱為粒子物理學的標準模型。

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

你基本上只不過是海洋上的擾動，由能量激發，

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

並由構成宇宙規則的力所引導。

But why?

但這是為什麼呢？

And what is a force?

什麼是力？

We'll have to explore a few more simple questions

我們將不得不探索更多簡單的問題

to get to the bottom of this. 慣用語

來弄清楚這一切。

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

我們用這部影片中的一些圖表製作了桌布。

You can get them on patreon.com.

你可以在patreon.com上獲取它們。

If you want to help us make more videos,

如果你想幫助我們製作更多影片，

you can do so there.

你可以在那裡支持我們。

We really appreciate your support.

非常感謝你的支持。

While you decide,

在你決定的時候，

here are some more videos we made.

這裡還有些我們製作的影片。