第4章 万物的尺度 The Measure of Things · 第8讲S4

1. 老师，讲稿里说 'literally' 本来是指字面意思，但这里说 'literally at their feet' 是‘唾手可得’，这俩意思咋联系起来的呀？
2. Geology 这个词根 geo 是地球，logos 是话语，那为什么合起来就是‘地质学’而不是‘地球学’呢？
3. 文中提到牛顿认为 'The Earth is not quite round'，这跟之前法国科考队去秘鲁测量地球周长有啥直接关系？
4. 既然地球重量这么难测，为什么哈雷和牛顿不直接称地球，而是要绕这么大圈子去搞金星临日观测和扭秤实验？
5. 这一章把地球周长测量和地球重量测量两条线交织在一起，作者这么写是为了说明科学发现有什么特点？

1. The transcript says 'literally' originally means 'in a literal sense', but here 'literally at their feet' means 'readily available'. How are these two meanings connected?
2. The root 'geo' in 'geology' means earth, and 'logos' means word or speech. Why does the combination translate to 'geology' instead of just 'earth science'?
3. The text mentions Newton's view that 'The Earth is not quite round'. How does this relate to the French expedition's mission to measure the Earth's circumference in Peru?
4. Since measuring the Earth's weight is so hard, why didn't Halley and Newton just weigh the Earth directly? Why did they go through such a long process involving the transit of Venus and torsion balance experiments?
5. This chapter weaves together the measurement of Earth's circumference and its weight. What characteristics of scientific discovery is the author trying to illustrate by doing this?

1 00:00:17,820 --> 00:00:19,820 到了 18 世纪末, 2 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:25,840 科学家已经非常清楚地知道地球的形状和尺寸, 3 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,820 可以读作 dimension 或者 dimension, 4 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:33,000 以及地球到太阳和其他行星的距离。 5 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,700 And now Cavendish,without even leaving home, 6 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:38,500 had given them its weight 7 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:45,240 而现在 Cavendish 足不出户就算出了地球的重量 So, 8 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:48,320 you might think that determining the age of the Earth 9 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:50,180 would be relatively straightforward 10 00:00:50,860 --> 00:00:55,460 所以呢你可能会觉得确定地球的年龄应该相对来说比 11 00:00:55,460 --> 00:00:56,300 较直接吧 12 00:00:57,050 --> 00:01:01,870 因为确定地球的重量这是非常间接的一个方式我们不 13 00:01:01,870 --> 00:01:06,210 能够把地球放在一个称上去称所以需要拐弯抹角的方 14 00:01:06,210 --> 00:01:10,490 式才能够算出来那么确定地球的这个 agedetermining 15 00:01:10,490 --> 00:01:13,870 就确定那应该是比较简单比较 straightforward 16 00:01:19,330 --> 00:01:23,860 毕竟所有的东西所有必须的这些材料 17 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:27,320 都已经是唾手可得了 literally 18 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:32,460 这个词的词根是 liter 是文字的意思所以我们这个 19 00:01:32,460 --> 00:01:36,660 literature 就是文学跟文字有关还有 literate means 20 00:01:36,660 --> 00:01:40,320 being able to read and write 就是能读书写字的 21 00:01:40,860 --> 00:01:46,180 识字的叫 literate 翻译词 illiterate 指文盲不会读书 22 00:01:46,180 --> 00:01:47,760 写字的还有 23 00:01:48,430 --> 00:01:52,240 我们会说一个词它具有 literate meaning 字面意思还 24 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:56,330 有 figurative meaning 这个是指修辞方面的意思一些 25 00:01:56,330 --> 00:02:01,990 隐身意 literally 实际上就是 actually 意思就是 I'm 26 00:02:01,990 --> 00:02:06,010 being honest about my feeling or opinions and not 27 00:02:06,010 --> 00:02:08,470 hiding anything 就是毫 28 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:13,800 不夸张的就相当于是可以翻译成简直所有的东西简直 29 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:14,980 就是破手可得 30 00:02:16,250 --> 00:02:17,210 but no 31 00:02:18,010 --> 00:02:21,690 这个 no 否定的不是这个 at their feet 而 32 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:26,200 是这个 straight forward 人们觉得这里来说确定地球 33 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:31,900 的年龄应该是比较直接但很遗憾的是答案是否定的 34 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:48,800 在他们做这件事情之前他们要先完成这些那意思就是 35 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:53,920 确定自己星球的年龄这不是那么快就能够做到的事情 36 00:02:53,920 --> 00:02:55,960 在此之前人们 37 00:02:57,850 --> 00:03:02,670 认识到原子原子还是可以再分的因为之前以为原子就 38 00:03:02,670 --> 00:03:06,670 是不可分的东西了已经是最小的粒子了但是后来发现 39 00:03:06,670 --> 00:03:10,190 呢 atom 底下还可以分为中子、 40 00:03:10,270 --> 00:03:14,590 质子、电子等等 spl it 就是把它切开分开的意思 41 00:03:15,820 --> 00:03:17,480 然后又发明了电视 42 00:03:17,920 --> 00:03:23,820 发明了 nylonnylon 是尼龙是一种合成纤维在合成纤维 43 00:03:23,820 --> 00:03:28,560 出现之前我们只有天然的纤维比如或者 44 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:31,100 丝或者麻或者一些金属纤维 45 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:35,840 就尼龙出现了以后呢人们服装的面料就变得丰富多彩 46 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:39,840 了而且尼龙还可以用在医学或者建筑各个行业 47 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:45,140 And instant coffee 人们还发明了速溶咖啡 instant 原 48 00:03:45,140 --> 00:03:48,340 来也接触过就是迅速的 means happening or produced 49 00:03:48,340 --> 00:03:53,160 immediately 可以说 instant noodles 就是快速面 50 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:56,480 before they could figure out the age of their own planet 51 00:03:56,480 --> 00:03:57,300 To 52 00:03:58,420 --> 00:04:02,440 understand why we must travel north to Scotland and 53 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:04,760 begin with a brilliant and genial man, 54 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:07,220 of whom few have ever heard, 55 00:04:07,420 --> 00:04:11,700 who had just invented a new science called geology. 56 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:16,380 要了解为什么会这样,我们必须要 travel north, 57 00:04:16,460 --> 00:04:18,420 要往北去苏格兰, 58 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:23,040 and begin with a brilliant and genial man.Brilliant 是 59 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:28,490 极聪明的我们要从一个智慧过人的然而又和蔼可亲的 60 00:04:28,490 --> 00:04:29,880 人说起 Genial 61 00:04:30,580 --> 00:04:33,800 Very friendly and happy Of 62 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:38,700 whom few have ever heard 也就是 Few have ever heard of 63 00:04:38,700 --> 00:04:39,660 this man 64 00:04:40,180 --> 00:04:44,720 这个人呢很多人都不认识都没有听说过 Who had just 65 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:47,300 invented a new science called geology Geology, 66 00:04:47,460 --> 00:04:52,080 他刚刚发明了一门新的学科, 67 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:54,320 一门新的科学叫 Geology, 68 00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:56,920 Geology 其中的这个 Geo, 69 00:04:56,920 --> 00:05:00,540 这个词根意思是 the earth, 70 00:05:00,780 --> 00:05:01,820 跟地, 71 00:05:01,940 --> 00:05:03,460 地球有关系的, 72 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:06,980 这个 logos 也是 Geology 里面包含的词根, 73 00:05:07,060 --> 00:05:11,660 意思是 word or speech,这两个合起来是地质学。 74 00:05:23,280 --> 00:05:28,220 大家根据我刚才说的这个词根的知识来猜测一下 75 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:32,200 这是什么意思 76 00:05:33,860 --> 00:05:38,230 然后大家可以再查一下词典看一下自己猜的对不对好 77 00:05:38,230 --> 00:05:38,740 了 78 00:05:41,210 --> 00:05:47,050 我们现在终于把最长的一章第四章算完了第四章在原 79 00:05:47,050 --> 00:05:52,200 版书里面有二十多页但实际上它只有两条线一条线就 80 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:55,690 是地球周长的测量就是精度的测量 81 00:05:56,170 --> 00:06:00,070 第二条线就是地球体重的测量作 82 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:05,680 者非常巧妙地编织了这两条线在其间介绍了无数的科 83 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:10,840 学家和他们的贡献我们看一下这是我们的起点就是法 84 00:06:10,840 --> 00:06:16,460 国科考队在秘鲁的这个科考行动 The Misfortunes of 85 00:06:16,460 --> 00:06:18,020 the Peruvian Expedition 86 00:06:18,620 --> 00:06:22,840 我们的文章是从这开始的就讲到他们这些人是多倒霉 87 00:06:22,840 --> 00:06:25,820 多倒霉那你可以把他们的种种情况可以写在这 88 00:06:26,510 --> 00:06:31,230 然后呢作者提了一个问题这些法国人为什么要千里迢 89 00:06:31,230 --> 00:06:33,550 迢跑到秘鲁来受苦受难呢 90 00:06:34,950 --> 00:06:39,910 这个原因要追溯到几十年前哈雷跟人打了一个赌 91 00:06:40,330 --> 00:06:43,530 那这时候作者也就介绍了哈雷的种种贡献 92 00:06:44,050 --> 00:06:45,770 大家也可以把它写在这儿 93 00:06:46,190 --> 00:06:50,150 我这里只是画了三个宽这只是一个示意并不一定只有 94 00:06:50,150 --> 00:06:54,210 三个贡献你可以继续再增加因为我再画也画不下去了 95 00:06:55,560 --> 00:06:59,820 那你也可以只保留三个宽如果你觉得我只要记住他最 96 00:06:59,820 --> 00:07:01,420 重要的三个贡献就行了 97 00:07:02,020 --> 00:07:06,900 还有他打赌的内容是什么呢也不妨在这里补充一下哈 98 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:12,820 雷对他打的这个赌是非常认真的为了找到答案, 99 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:15,160 他跑去找 Newton,找牛顿, 100 00:07:15,220 --> 00:07:15,940 请他帮忙 101 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:20,740 那这时候作者又花了很多的笔墨写牛顿的种种怪异的 102 00:07:20,740 --> 00:07:23,040 行为,以及他种种非凡的发现 103 00:07:24,660 --> 00:07:28,2 ……（后略，完整文稿见视频页字幕）