你看到了我 Can you see me?
你也聽到了我 Can you hear me?
這是怎么發生的？ How?
我與你之間可能隔著千山萬水 I could be thousands of miles away,
可是,只要你打開你的設備 and yet, when you turn on whatever device
我的聲音和圖像就會傳到你那里 is bringing my image and voice to you,
我,就在這里 I'm there.
不會有任何的間斷 Instantaneously.
這一切是如何變成現實的？ How is that possible?
對于我們的祖先來說 To our ancestors,
這一切看起來就像是魔法 it would've seemed like sorcery.
對他們來說,信息傳播的速度 For them, speed of communication
取決于快馬的速度 was only as fast as the swiftest horse
或是航船的速度 or sailing ships.
現代社會的信息以肉眼不可見的光速進行傳播 Our messages travel invisibly at the speed of light.
我們是如何獲得如此不可思議的力量？ How did we attain such mythic powers?
這一切都來源于一個人的頭腦 It all began in the mind of one person.
一個貧民家的小孩 A child of poverty
聽起來沒什么可期待的 of whom nothing was expected.
可要是沒有這個人 In fact, if this man had not lived...
我們現在的世界也許就不會是這個樣子 the world we know might not exist today.
也許遲早有那么一天 Sooner or later,
總有人能作出 someone would've likely figured out
他的某些發現 some of his discoveries.
但如果邁克爾·法拉第沒有在這世界上出現過 But if Michael Faraday had never lived,
我們現在可能還活在 we might still be living
和十七世紀的人們一樣的世界里 as our ancestors did in the 17th century.
根本不會意識到 Unaware
我們的身邊有著看不見的力量等待著我們的使喚 of armies of invisible servants awaiting our commands.
這是關于我們如何掌握了 This is the story of how we learned
電的力量的故事 to make electrons do our bidding.
從某個方面來說，這一切始于 In a way, it begins
一位偉大的天才人物 with the greatest genius who ever lived--
艾薩克·牛頓 Isaac Newton.
這里是牛頓的故居，伍爾斯索普 This is Woolsthorpe, Newton's ancestral home.
他曾苦苦思索著，從這條小路上經過 He walked these fields, tormented by mystery.
牛頓，正是他發現了 Newton, the man who figured out the formula
行星繞日運動的規律 for the motions of the planets around the Sun,
他還想知道 wanted to know
太陽是如何讓行星圍繞著它旋轉 how does the Sun make the planets act that way
而又不用互相接觸？ without touching them?
樹上的蘋果怎么知道何時該掉落？ How do all the apples know how to fall?
另一位天才同樣從另一個方面 Another genius was puzzled by another aspect
被這個問題所困擾 of the same mystery.
兒子，看哪 You see, son?
無論我怎樣轉動這個指南針 No matter how I turn the compass,
針頭總會指向相同的方向 the needle always points the same way.
除非... Except...
怎么會呢？ But how?
他們根本就沒碰到 They do not touch.
阿爾伯特，我可沒聽到你說“謝謝”！ I didn't hear a "Thank you," Albert.
我依然記得這個故事 I can still remember this.
它們給了我深深的 The experience made a deep
連綿不絕的感動 and lasting impression on me.
肯定有某些東西深深地隱藏在 Something deeply hidden
這一切的背后 had to be behind things.
在愛因斯坦與牛頓之間 Between the lifetimes of Einstein and Newton,
還出現了另一位天才 there lived another genius,
與他們同樣偉大 one of equal stature.
這位天才解決了困擾牛頓的問題 The man who solved the mystery that stumped Newton,
也奠定了 also laid the foundation
愛因斯坦的革命性發現的基礎 for Einstein's revolutionary insights.
以及人類今天生存的方式 And for the way we live now.
1791年，在一個臟兮兮的貧民窟里 In 1791, in a squalid slum
在這個倫敦的郊區里 in the suburbs of London,
邁克爾·法拉第出生了 Michael Faraday was born.
在學校里，他顯示不出一丁點的天分 He showed little promise at school.
請告訴我們一個 Pray tell us a word that begins
以字母R開頭的單詞 with the letter R.
嗯 Well?
肚子？ Wabbit?
應該是“兔子” The word is "Rabbit."
再來一次，這次發音要準啊 Once again, and correctly this time.
肚子？ Wabbit?
你在嘲弄我嗎？ Do you mock me?
難道我沒有告訴你 Have I not told you how
怎么去念R這個字母的發音嗎？ to pronounce the letter R?
起碼你能告訴我們你的名字吧？ Surely you can at least tell us your name?
邁克爾·法老地，老師 Michael "Fawaday," ma'am.
拿這半個便士 Take this ha'penny,
買根鞭回來 and buy me a cane,
看我怎么給你那無禮的弟弟 so that I may give your insolent brother
一頓好抽 a proper flogging.
史書上再也沒有任何法拉弟 History does not record that Michael Faraday
去學校讀書的記載 ever attended school again.
法拉第承傳了家庭的正統基督教信仰 Faraday took his family's fundamentalist Christian faith
他的虔誠 to heart.
是他強大的精神動力源泉 It would always remain a source of strength,
讓他平和而謙遜 comfort and humility for him.
13歲時他被送到一個書籍裝訂廠工作 He was sent to work at a bookbindery at the age of 13.
白天，他在裝訂書籍 By day, he bound the books,
到了晚上 and by night,
他在讀書 he read them.
這就是他終生 It was the beginning of a lifelong fascination
為電而癡狂的起始 with electricity.
在書籍裝訂廠里工作了有些年頭以后 After years of working in the bookbindery,
21歲的法拉弟 Faraday, now 21,
渴望來到一個更廣闊的世界 yearned to escape to a larger world.
他的機會來了 His big break came
一位顧客給了他一張門票 when a customer gave him a ticket
讓他去參加一項挺受歡迎的新休閑活動 to a sensational new kind of entertainment--
公眾科普講座 science for the public.
正是在這里 And it started right here
倫敦皇家學院 at London's Royal Institution.
漢弗萊·戴維不僅僅是 Humphry Davy was not only
當時首屈一指的科學家 one of the leading scientists of his day,
他也發現了好幾種化學元素 he discovered several chemical elements,
包括鈣和鈉 including calcium and sodium.
他同時也是一位出色的主持人 He was also a consummate showman.
對于電學原理的初步演示 And primitive demonstrations of electricity
深受公眾的歡迎 never failed as a crowd pleaser.
請把 May we have
燈光調暗，好嗎？ the lights lowered, please?
我現在就要釋放出 I am about to unleash the might
兩千塊化學電池的能量 of the 2,000 massive chemical batteries
它們就在我們腳下的地下室里 stored in the cellar beneath our feet.
現在看吧，這就是神秘的力量 And now, behold the power of the mysterious force
它來自于電解液，它將照耀我們的未來 of electrical fluid to illuminate our future.
法拉第忙著做筆記，根本無暇鼓掌 Faraday was too busy taking notes to applaud.
法拉利創作了一份戴維演講的記錄 Faraday created a transcript of Davy's lecture.
他把做學徒時學得的技巧都用上了 Using the skills he had learned as an apprentice,
他把這些都放在了這本書里 he bound them into this book.
也許正是這樣的才能 Perhaps such a gift would bring him to the attention
讓他得到了這位偉人的注意 of the great man.
也許這一切舉動是奔往 Maybe this gesture could be a means of escape
更廣闊世界的方式 to a much larger universe.
早上好，先生 Good day, sir.
請幫我把這個包裹交給漢弗萊爵士 I wish you to deliver this parcel to Sir Humphry.
不管怎么說，這就像一個賭注 It was a long shot, anyway.
法拉利希望能賭中些什么 But Faraday hoped something would come of it.
結果他真的賭中了 And it did.
呃，實驗已經準備好了，先生 Uh, the experiment is ready for you now, sir.
安培告訴我說可憐的杜隆 Ampere tells me that poor Dulong lost an eye
在做這個實驗時，丟掉了一只眼睛和三個手指 and three fingers working with this.
我的眼睛 My eyes!
當一場化學實驗 When a chemical experiment blew up in the face
把知名科學家漢弗萊戴維的臉弄傷之后 of the world-renowned scientist Humphry Davy,
他想起了法拉弟 he remembered Michael Faraday,
那個小伙子能一大段一大段地 the lad who had gone through such lengths
把他的講座記錄并整理下來 to copy down and bind the transcript of his lecture.
年輕人，你真是記憶力超群 You have a first-rate memory, young man.
我正好暫時需要一個秘書 And I shall have temporary need of a secretary.
先生，我做夢都想著為科學服務 Sir, I dream of a life in service to science.
我建議你還是繼續做好你這份書籍裝訂的工作 I would advise you to stick to the bookbinding.
科學研究殘酷而無情 Science is a harsh mistress.
對了，像你這樣的地位，人又謙虛 Surely, a person of your station and modest means
應當有自己的生意吧。 must have a trade.
做生意的人狠毒而自私 Trade is vicious and selfish.
做科學研究的人和藹而品格高尚 Men of science are amiable and morally superior.
很好，我就是你在科學界里 I take it I'm the first man of science
第一位遇到的人 you've ever met.
法拉利最終成為戴維身邊不可或缺的人物 Faraday made himself indispensable to Davy.
這份臨時的工作成為他終身的職業 The temporary job became a permanent one,
英國皇家學會成為他生命的歸宿 and the Royal Institution became his lifelong home.
白天，他在實驗室協助戴維 By day, he assisted Davy in the lab,
晚上，他就走到樓上 at day's end, he climbed the stairs
回到他那小小的蝸居 to the little apartment
他親愛的妻子莎拉在等待著他 where his beloved bride Sarah was waiting.
漢弗萊·戴維與化學家威廉·瓦爾森 Humphry Davy and the chemist William Wollaston
在實驗中遇到了一個神奇的現象 were experimenting with a mysterious phenomenon,
和兩個保持距離的物品相關 one with potentially far-reaching implications.
這個裝置和丹麥科學家奧斯特的試驗相似 This is the identical setup to Orsted's.
現在把線圈閉合，戴維，仔細盯著 Now close the circuit, Davy, and watch closely.
是什么東西讓針偏離了電線？ What could be driving the needle away from the wire?
我知道就好了 Damned if I know.
不過看上去似乎是通電的線圈 But it's as if the electric current
讓電線有了類似磁鐵的力量 makes the wire behave like some kind of magnet.
電流一定具有某種磁力 Electricity must have something to do with magnetism.
如果我們能讓它不斷地運轉就好了 Now if we could only get it to turn continuously,
想象一下，世界會有怎樣變化 imagine what might be accomplished
如果我們能掌握了這些力量 if we could put these forces to work.
把東西整理好后，法拉弟 After you tidy up, Faraday,
也許你可以試試你能做點什么 you might see what you can make of it.
戴維也許只是開個小玩笑 Davy may have been having a bit of fun
嘲弄一下他的年輕助手 at the expense of his young assistant,
但法拉弟的心中燃起了激情 but Faraday was on fire.
當時，電還只能被用做 Up to now, electricity had been nothing more
用來娛樂大眾的新奇玩意 than an entertaining novelty toy.
它被用來創造閃光 It could make a light flash for an instant
或是讓指南針轉個彎 or turn a compass needle briefly,
但沒有什么實際的用途 but it had no practical application.
法拉弟立即著手設計實驗 Faraday immediately set about designing the experiment,
把他閑暇的每一刻都用在解決這個問題上 devoting every moment of his spare time to the problem.
如果法拉弟成功了 If Faraday succeeded,
他就能把無盡的、隱秘的 he would be putting an infinitely large, invisible,
不為人知的電子的力量 and as-yet-undiscovered army of electrons
化為人類所用 at the command of human whim.
這個革命是如果何開始的？ How does a revolution begin?
其實也不用花費太多 Sometimes it doesn't take much.
一塊金屬，一碗水銀 A piece of metal, a bowl of mercury,
一點黃柏 a bit of cork.
親愛的莎拉，把你的小弟叫下來 Sarah dear, send your little brother down.
我就要做個新實驗 I'm about to try something knew,
我想讓他看看 and I want him to see it.
喬治，由你來開啟這光榮時刻吧 Why don't you do the honors, Georgie.
它動起來了 There she goes.
它動起來了 There she goes!
這就是人類的第一臺馬達 This was the first motor
它能把電流轉化為無間斷的機械運動 converting electric current into continuous mechanical motion.
看上去弱爆了，是不是？ Looks pretty feeble, right?
可就是這轉動中的小紡錘 But that turning spindle
開啟了一場革命 is the beginning of a revolution,
一件微小的發明引爆了 one that dwarfs all the shots fired
一連串的連鎖反應 and bombs ever detonated
對人類文明產生了龐大的影響 in the sheer magnitude of its effect on our civilization.
想象一下，我們現在的商業 Try to imagine all the businesses,
工業，科技 industries, technologies,
我們生活中的種種變化 transformations of the way we live
都源于這歡樂的一刻 that have their beginnings in that ecstatic moment
源于法拉弟的實驗室 in Michael Faraday's laboratory.
法拉弟的新發明的新聞很快傳了出去 News of Faraday's invention spread quickly,
一夜之間，戴維的助手成為倫敦的熱門人物 and suddenly, Davy's assistant was the toast of London.
戴維很不爽 Davy didn't take it well.
畢竟，他曾發現了好些個元素 He had, after all, discovered all those elements.
可現在人們都在說，他最大的發現 Now people were saying that his greatest discovery
就是發現了法拉弟 was Michael Faraday.
戴維要確保法拉弟 Davy made sure that Faraday
很快不再成為新聞 wouldn't be making any more headlines anytime soon.
您找我嗎？先生 You sent for me, sir?
我有個新任務要交給你 I have a new challenge for you.
我想要你去接下 I want you to take over our efforts
改進英國光學鏡片質量的任務 to improve the quality of British optical glass.
那些該死的巴伐利亞人 Those damned Bavarians
把我們的市場都占領了 are running circles around us.
鏡片？ Glass?
請恕我冒味，先生 With all due respect, sir,
我對鏡片制造一無所知啊 I know nothing at all of glass-making.
那就好好學吧，法拉弟 Then you will learn, Faraday.
反正你學什么都是很快的 We all know what a quick study you are.
你只需要分析那些鏡片的化學成分 Just analyze the chemical composition of their glass
再逆向找出它的制造過程 and work backwards to see how they made it.
這不會花很長時間的 It shouldn't take you long.
可法拉弟苦苦花了4年時間 But Faraday struggled for four years
依然一無所獲 without any success.
這次比上一次更糟糕 This is even worse than the last batch.
不管他如何努力 No matter how hard he tried,
法拉弟始終沒能找到約瑟夫•弗勞恩霍夫 Faraday could not figure out what Joseph Fraunhofer
在數年前的發現 had discovered years before.
法拉弟沒能掌握生產 What Faraday failed to grasp was that casting
完美的光學鏡片的技術 perfect optical glass for telescopes was a craft
與科學原理 as well as a science, and the masters
這些技術的秘密被巴伐利亞的大師們完好的隱藏起來 in Bavaria kept their secrets under lock and key.
法拉利沒能掌握這些秘密 Faraday never did learn their secret.
他把一塊玻璃磚保存了下來 He kept a single glass brick
作為失敗的紀念品 as a souvenir of this failure.
幾年后，這塊東西同樣改變了他的生活 Years later, it would change the course of his life...
與我們的生活 and ours.
戴維的去世最終結束了這項無果的項目 Davy's death finally brought an end to this fruitless project,
而法拉弟，這個貧民窟的孩子 and Faraday, the boy from the slums,
成為了實驗室的主管 succeeded him as Director of the Laboratory.
法拉弟利用他的權力作出了一些史無前例的事情 Faraday used his new authority to do something unprecedented--
他舉辦了一系列的圣誕節年度科普講座 a series of annual Christmas lectures on science
專門為青少年而設…從1825年開始 for the young... beginning in 1825
并一直延續到了現在 and continuing to this day.
在某個首次舉辦的圣誕節講座上 At one of the first Christmas lectures,
法拉利讓他的聽眾們著迷 Faraday enchanted his audience
他展示了他所掌握的新能量 with displays of the new powers that were at his disposal.
假設我要點著這堆火藥 Suppose I want to fire a portion of gunpowder.
我很輕松的就可以，通過 I can readily do it with the power
電的力量 of electricity.
如果我通過這根電纜讓電流經過我的身體 If I receive electricity through this conducting wire,
那我就能把電導到我接觸的作任何物體上 I can then give it to anything I touch.
不過我得先站到這張有玻璃絕緣腿的凳子上 But I must stand on these insulating glass leg
不然電流就會跑到地板上 to prevent the electricity from going away into the floor.
現在，我通電了！ Now I am electrified!
哇 Whoa!
我能點著這盞汽燈么？ Do you think I could light this gas jet
就靠我這根手指 just by touching it with my finger?
不，不要啊 No, don't do it! No!
不，不要 No! Don't!
小朋友在家里不要學，叔叔有練過的 Now, mind you, don't try this at home.
現在，孩子們，用你們的眼睛看吧 And now, my children, you have seen for yourselves
這就是看不見的電的力量 how this invisible force of electricity
它能為我們做更多的事 can be made to serve new purposes
但以我們目前的力量還不能完全做到 utterly unattainable by the powers we have now.
不間斷電機的發明 The invention of a motor that could work continuously,
能讓人類從勞苦的工作中釋放出來 eliminating countless human hours of drudgery,
能讓人類更加富裕 would be more than enough to make you a fortune
也能讓人永載史冊 and land you in the history books.
但法拉弟沒有看到這些 But that's not how Michael Faraday saw it.
他從來沒有申請專利的念頭 He had absolutely no interest in patenting his ideas
也沒想過從中獲私利 or personally profiting from them.
至于史書 And as for the history books,
他僅僅寫下第一行字 he had only written the first sentence
后面的許多篇章都來不及了 of an entry that would be many pages long.
安德森先生，請把燈光調暗吧 Mr. Anderson, may I ask you to dim the lights, please?
先生們，我準備制造出電流 Gentlemen, I am about to induce a current of electricity
只需動一動這塊磁鐵 merely by moving a magnet.
請好好觀察吧 Please observe what happens
在我這樣做的時候，請好好看著線圈的間隙 in the gap between the wires when I do so.
你們看到了磁鐵在運行時電流是如何流動的嗎？ Do you see how the current only flows when the magnet is moving?
這就是將 This is the conversion
動能轉為化為電能 of motion into electricity.
這就是人類第一臺發電機 This was the first generator.
從此，電能被人類掌控 From here, electricity would become available on demand.
法拉弟在不斷地改變著世界 Faraday was continuing to change the world
以及人類的生活 and the way people lived,
然后，突然之間 and then, suddenly,
病魔侵襲了他那舉世無雙的大腦 an illness attacked his incomparable mind.
親愛的舍恩拜 My dear Schoenbein,
我很高興看到你的觀點，我認為… I would be very grateful to have your opinion regarding...
我認為… Regarding...
親愛的舍恩拜…我認為… Dear Schoenbein... Regarding...
老公，怎么了？ My dear husband, whatever is the matter?
我想寫封信給舍恩拜 I began a letter to Schoenbein
可就是記不得我想要寫什么了 and could not remember what I meant to say.
別擔心 This is no cause for alarm.
你工作太累了 You work too hard.
-沒有精力了。-不是的 - You're exhausted. - No.
莎拉，這次不一樣 Sarah, this is different.
太糟糕了 Horribly different.
我的大腦出現這樣的問題很多天了，這是第三次了 It's the third time my memory has failed me in as many days.
只怕我要失去我的記憶力了 I fear I'm losing my mind.
我該如何是好？ And what would I be without that?
老公，別擔心，會好的 Why, my darling husband, of course.
法拉弟49歲時 When Faraday was 49,
他開始面臨失憶與抑郁癥的困擾 he began to battle severe memory loss and depression.
他的工作陷入了停頓 His work came to a standstill.
雖然他從此沒有完全康復過 And although he never fully recovered,
但他更大的發現還在后頭 his greatest achievements still lay ahead.
法拉弟 Faraday
完全地沉浸在 had immersed himself so deeply
電力與磁力的實驗中 in electrical and magnetic experiments
他觀察到磁鐵的周圍 that he came to visualize the space around a magnet
有看不見的力場線 as filled with invisible lines of force.
磁鐵不僅僅是一塊磁化的小鐵塊 A magnet was not simply the magnetized bar of iron
不僅僅是肉眼所見的一切 that you could see.
還有某些我們看不見的東西 It was also the unseen something
圍繞著磁鐵四周的空間 in the space around the bar.
他稱之為場 And that something he called a field.
這就是磁場 A magnetic field.
法拉弟認為在自然界這個統一的整體中 Faraday believed in the unity of nature.
無處不在展示著 Having demonstrated the connections
電場與磁場的關連，他思索著 between electricity and magnetism, he wondered,
這兩者會不會與第三種能量——光相關連？ were these two forces also connected to a third-- light?
如果他能展示出 If he could only show a connection
這三種不可見現象之間的關連 among these three invisible phenomena,
那么自然界最隱秘的奧秘之一 one of nature's most intimate secrets
就會被人類揭開 would at last be revealed.
最終，他是怎么做的？ So, what did he do?
他設計了一項試驗 He designed an experiment.
法拉弟知道光能像波一樣傳播 Faraday knew that light can travel as a wave.
光波在各個方向隨機振動 Waves of light vibrate randomly in all directions.
但有個方法可以固定某個特定的光波 But there's a way to isolate a single wave of light.
這個方法就是偏振 It's called polarization.
當光從反射面反彈回來時 When light bounces off a reflective surface,
比如一面鏡子 like a mirror,
就會出現偏振 it becomes polarized.
法拉弟想知道 Faraday wanted to see
一條單束的光線是否能被 if that single ray of light could be manipulated
不可見的磁場所控制 by the invisible magnetic field.
這塊目鏡含有水晶 The eyepiece contained a crystal
它就如同一道柵欄擋住了光線 that acted as a kind of picket fence for light.
如果光線想要穿過它 Light could only pass through it
就必須受磁場的影響而偏移 if it was somehow moved by the magnet.
他在鏡子前面放了一盞燈 He placed a lantern before a mirror,
如果他能通過目鏡看到燈光 one that he would only see through the eyepiece
那說明反射光穿過了柵欄 if its reflection could pass through the picket fence.
如果你覺得很難理解，這很正常 If this is hard to understand, don't feel bad.
科學家們也不能解釋這種現象 Scientists could not explain this phenomenon
在這之后的100年里 for another 100 years.
法拉利知道磁場 Faraday knew that magnetism had no effect
對空氣中移動的光線沒有任何影響 on light that was moving through air.
可要是光線在其他物體中移動呢 But what about when it was moving through other materials?
他又能使用那種物體 So what kind of material could he use
來幫助磁場移動光線？ to help the magnet move the light?
他測試了好幾百種 He tried hundreds of different
透明的化學物質與物品 transparent chemicals and objects...
可還是什么也看不到 but saw nothing through the eyepiece.
光線沒有因磁場發生扭曲 The light was not twisted by the magnet.
他測試了方解石晶體 He tried crystals of calcite,
碳酸鈉 sodium carbonate,
硫酸鈣 calcium sulfate,
可還是什么都看不見 and still, he saw nothing.
他測試了好幾種酸 He tried acids.
硫酸 Sulfuric acid,
鹽酸 muriatic acid,
碳酸 carbonic acid.
還有氣體… He tried gasses...
氧氣，氮氣，氫氣… oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen...
均以失敗告終 with no success.
受這些物質所感應的磁場 The magnetic field induced
都不能使光線產生扭曲 in these substances could not twist the light
讓他看見油燈的燈光 from his lamp back into view.
見鬼了 Damn!
無奈之下，他決定要試一試 In desperation, he decided to try...
那塊玻璃磚 the glass brick,
那個紀念品 the souvenir
來自于他被戴維所束縛的那段歲月 of his years of bondage to Davy.
見效了 It did the trick.
磁場的能量 The force of the magnet
使光線產生了扭曲 twisted the light
從而穿越了水晶 so that it could pass through the crystal.
那么，這當中有什么重大意義呢？ So, what's the big deal?
法拉第揭示了 Faraday had demonstrated the existence
我們身邊存在的物理現實 of the physical reality that surrounds us,
那是前人所不知道的 but which no one had ever been able to detect.
這是一個激動人心的時刻 It was as dramatic a breakthrough
猶如人類第一次 as seeing the cosmos for the very first time
通過望遠鏡看到宇宙 through a telescope.
通過展示電磁力 By showing that an electromagnetic force
可以操縱光線 could manipulate light,
法拉弟發現了自然界深層存在的一種力的聯結 Faraday had discovered a deeper unity of nature.
他為愛因斯坦打開了一道大門 He had opened a door for Einstein
也為后世的物理學家開創了新的天地 and all the physicists who came after him
讓人類可以窺見 to glimpse the interplay
宇宙深處中最基本的隱秘力量 of hidden, primal forces in the universe.
即使是在達到他的天才的頂峰之時 Even as he approached the summit of his genius,
他還在為抑郁癥所困擾 he was plagued by depression
一直在懷疑自己的能力 and doubts about his ability
能不能記住最簡單的問題 to retain even the simplest thoughts.
朋友們，我發現很難回答 My dear friend, I find a difficulty in answering
或是正確地了解科學論文的內容 or even acknowledging properly a scientific letter,
因為我記不住東西 for I cannot now hold it at once in my mind.
我有一部分記憶力不行了 The memory of the parts fail me.
還有，很遺憾你會看到 P.S. You will be sorry to see
后面這段提示的話 the tone of this short note,
我親愛的老公已經和平時不一樣了 but my dearest husband is not quite so well as usual,
希望他能變好吧 but I hope he will improve.
你真誠的莎拉·法拉弟 Yours very truly, S. Faraday.
年輕時，法拉弟自貧困中崛起 As a young man, Faraday had risen from poverty,
在一個對出身階級非常注重的社會中成長 in one of the most class-conscious societies
這是當時世界上階級劃分最嚴格的社會 the world has ever known,
并成為當時最負盛名的科學家 to become the most celebrated scientist of his time.
40歲的時候，他發明了電動馬達 By age 40, he had invented the electric motor,
變壓器，發電機 the transformer, the generator,
這些設備改變了家庭 machines that would change everything about the home,
農場、工廠里的一切 the farm, the factory.
現在，在60歲的時候，在這位偉大的物理學家 Now, at 60, decades after the fertile periods
作出一系列巨大發現后的幾十年 of the greatest physicists,
他被失憶和抑郁所困擾 plagued by memory loss and melancholy,
但他無畏地繼續深入探索 he fearlessly probed deeper
那看不見的神秘力量 into the mysterious invisible forces.
在世人認為法拉弟已經過時的時候 The world thought that Michael Faraday was a has-been.
他無視憂郁癥 Despite his depression,
一如既往地充滿好奇心 he remained as passionately curious as ever.
在發現了 Having discovered the unity
電，磁，光三者的有機聯系之后 of electricity, magnetism and light,
法拉弟想要知道自然界中這三者的能量 Faraday needed to know
是如何合而為一，共同發揮作用的 how this trinity of natural forces work together.
歌詞：這就是小姐走過的路 ♪ this is the way the ladies walk... ♪
其實也沒有什么新鮮的 This was nothing new.
孩子們早已 Children had been playing with magnets
把磁鐵與鐵屑混在一起玩了好幾個世紀了 and iron filings for centuries.
人們一直都認為那些好玩的圖案 Everyone had always assumed that this lovely pattern
是鐵的作用 was just something that iron did.
法拉弟已經知道通電后的電線具有磁性 Faraday knew that electric current turns a wire into a magnet,
因此，他希望也能發現類似的圖案 so he expected to find related patterns
在電線外的鐵屑中 in iron filings around a wire carrying electricity.
當其他人看到的只是好玩的圖案時 But where others saw merely lovely shapes,
法拉弟則看得更為深遠 Faraday saw something profound.
這些圖案不僅是鐵屑的變化那么簡單 The patterns were not simply a quirk of iron filings;
它們在磁鐵的四周存在 they existed in the space around a magnet
也在電流四周出現 or an electric current,
不管有沒有鐵屑出現 even in the absence of iron filings.
這些圖案就是軌跡、足跡 The patterns were the traces, the footprints
來自那看不見的能量 of invisible fields of force,
在任何一個磁性物體外都同樣存在 that reached out into the space around anything magnetic.
指南針的原理 The compass needle that people wondered at
曾讓人類困擾了千年之久 for a thousand years was not reacting
其實并不是因為遙遠的北極那里有塊磁鐵 to some far away magnetic North Pole.
而是因為連續不斷的磁力場 It was detecting a continuous force field
無處不在 that stretched all the way there.
地球本身就是一塊巨大的磁鐵 Earth itself is a giant magnet.
與其他磁鐵類似 And like any other magnet,
它的磁力線延展到 its lines of force extend far out
地球四周的空間 into the space surrounding it.
它圍繞著我們，無處不在 They're everywhere, all around us.
它們一直存在著 They've always been.
但從沒有人注意過它們 But nobody had ever noticed them before.
或者說，沒有人類注意過 Nobody human, that is.
鳥類是恐龍的后裔 Birds are the last living descendants of the dinosaurs.
鴿子與其他的鳥類同樣具有出色的 Pigeons and other birds are remarkably good
識別路途的能力 at finding their way around.
它們能遷徙千里而不迷路 They can migrate thousands of miles without getting lost.
這是怎么做到的？部分是由于可識別的地標 How? Partly by recognizing familiar landmarks--
河流、山脈、星辰 rivers, mountains, stars.
甚至是某種氣味 Even certain smells can serve
都能成為遷徙鳥類的路標 as signposts for migrating birds.
鳥類的體內還有天然的羅盤。 But birds also have an inner compass.
它們能感應到地球的磁場 They can actually sense the Earth's magnetic field.
它們的大腦處理磁場數據的方式 Their brains process magnetic data in much the same way
和人類處理視覺的方式很相似 ours process visual data.
依靠感應磁場方位 By sensing the direction of the field,
鳥類能分辨南北 birds can tell north from south.
這就是為何北美洲的鳥類能夠 That's one way North American birds know which way to go
在冬天找到去往南方的路 when they head south for the winter.
地球磁場在兩極 The field is stronger near the poles
比赤道的要強 than it is at the equator,
鳥類據此可以推斷出它們所在的緯度 a fact that birds use to figure out their latitude.
地球磁場中還存在著許多微小的不規則的地方 There are also small irregularities in the field,
在這些不規則的地方 locations where the field
磁場會有強弱不同的變化 is a little weaker or stronger.
就像是獨特的山脈和河流一樣 Just like a distinctive mountain or river,
這些不一樣的磁場也能作為地標 these magnetic anomalies can serve as landmarks.
幾千年來人們一直在使用信鴿 For thousands of years, humans have used carrier pigeons
在長距離傳遞信件 to send messages to distant locations.
這是一種非常重要的信息傳遞方式 It was a crucial method of communication
到了二戰時也是如此 as recently as World War II.
因此，人類實際上也已經 When you think about it, we've been using
利用磁場來進行通訊有很長一段時間了 magnetic fields to communicate for a long time.
只是我們不知道而已 We just didn't know it.
那地球為什么會有磁場呢？ So why does our planet have a magnetic field at all?
它是如何產生的？ What causes it?
答案就在地球的深處 The answer lies deep inside the Earth.
液態的鐵，繞著實心的地核旋轉 Liquid iron, circulating around the solid part of the core
在地球自轉的同時 as Earth rotates,
就好像是電流繞著線圈運行 acts like a wire carrying an electric current.
就像法拉弟展示的那樣 And as Faraday showed us,
電流產生了磁場 electric currents produce magnetic fields.
這對人類而言是件好事 And that's a good thing.
磁場讓我們避免宇宙射線的猛烈攻擊 Our magnetic field protects us from the onslaught
否則生物圈就會遭到巨大傷害 of cosmic rays, which would be very damaging to our biosphere.
宇宙射線可以穿透DNA Cosmic rays can rip through DNA.
沒有磁場的保護 Without our magnetic field, the rate of mutation
生物有機體的變異率會變高 in living organisms would be much higher.
幸好，大部分的射線粒子 Fortunately, most of this cosmic shrapnel gets trapped
會被范艾倫幅射帶所困住，它看上去就像個甜甜圈 in the Van Allen belts, donut-shaped zones
帶電的粒子會被地球磁場的防護層所攔下 of charged particles corralled by our magnetic shield.
明白了地球自身就是一個大磁棒 Knowing that the Earth itself is like a giant bar magnet
我們就可以解釋天空中最美麗景觀之一的形成 explains one of the most beautiful sights in the sky,
這就是極光 the aurora.
來自太陽的帶電粒子，也就是太陽風 Charged particles from the Sun, the solar wind,
在不斷地轟擊地球 are constantly bombarding the Earth.
我們可以反把太陽風想象為某種電流 You can think of the solar wind as a kind of electric current.
地球的磁場 Our planet's magnetic field
在把這股電流導向南極與北極，并在這之間形成了電流渠道 channels that current towards the North and South Poles.
當它與大氣碰撞時 When it hits our atmosphere,
空氣中氧分子與氮分子 the oxygen and nitrogen molecules
就會像巨大的熒光燈一樣發出光芒 in the air glow like giant fluorescent lightbulbs.
當法拉第在繼續進行著 When Faraday pursued
最后也是最具有重大意義的發現時 his last and most profound discovery,
貧窮的童年對他的影響 the poverty of his childhood stymied him
比以往任何時刻都要明顯的顯現出來 as it never had before.
他需要幫助 He needed help
結果，是另一個與他出身不同的人幫助了他 and found it in one who had come from another world.
法拉利解開了 Michael Faraday had solved the mystery
困惑牛頓已久的謎團 that baffled Isaac Newton.
這就是太陽如何令行星圍繞著它運轉 This was how the Sun told the planets how to move
又不用接觸到它們 without touching them.
太陽實際上還是接觸得到行星的 The Sun does touch the planets
通過它的引力場的作用 with its gravitational field,
而地球的引力場 and Earth's gravitational field
則告訴蘋果何時該掉下來 tells the apples how to fall.
所有這一切只是一個夢 All this is a dream.
不幸的是，這就是當時的流行觀點 Unfortunately, that was the prevailing view
與他同時代的科學家們認為 among his fellow scientists.
法拉弟在做夢 Faraday was dreaming.
他們尊重他的創造能力 They admired his inventiveness
與他天才的實驗能力 and his genius for experimentation,
但他們認為他那看不見的“力線” but they regarded his invisible "lines of force"
與他關于光和引力的觀點是臆造的 and his ideas about light and gravity as hand-waving,
沒有任何可靠的實證可以支持 meaning there was nothing solid to back it up.
有人公開譴責他的理論 Some openly ridiculed his theories.
他們需要看到他的理論 They needed to see his ideas expressed
能被現代物理學的語言所解釋 in the language of modern physics,
也就是精確的數學方程式 precise equations.
而這個方面 This was the one area
由于法拉弟的童年很貧窮 where Faraday's childhood poverty
沒有得到過正式的教育 and lack of formal education
因此成為了他的缺陷 actually held him back.
他不懂得數學運算 He couldn't do the math.
法拉弟最終遇到了他無法跨越的障礙 Faraday had finally hit a wall that he could not overcome.
而這時，另一位 And then, the greatest theoretical physicist
被公認為19世紀最偉大的理論物理學家 of the 19th century came along.
詹姆斯·克拉克·麥克斯韋，出生在一個富裕的家庭里 James Clerk Maxwell was born into a world of wealth
家里很有權力 and privilege,
他的父母中年得子，他是家里唯一的孩子，深得寵愛 an only child of doting middle-aged parents.
當他才20出頭時，就已經 By his early 20s, he had made a name for himself
成為一個知名的數學家 as a mathematician.
當時其他的科學家認為法拉第 While other scientists had come to think of Faraday
已經過時了，是歷史遺老 as old-fashioned; a great figure of the past
根本就不是屬于未來的物理學者 but no part of the future of physics,
麥克斯韋有不同的想法 James Clerk Maxwell knew better.
他認真的閱讀了 He began by reading everything
法拉弟所寫的關于電學的一切著作 Faraday had written on electricity.
他堅信法拉第所提到的力場 He became convinced that Faraday's fields of force
是真實存在的，并且開始動手 were real, and he set out to give them
用精確的數學方程式來證明這一切 a precise mathematical formulation.
_
物理學中的數學方程式 An equation in physics is just a shorthand description
是對某種在特定空間和時間中出現的物理現象的描述 of something that can be represented in space and time.
例如，描述鐘擺弧線的方程式 For instance, the equation that describes the arc of a pendulum
描述了它無論如何也不可能擺動得比起始點高 shows that it can never swing higher than its initial height.
當麥克斯韋把法拉利的實驗現象轉化為 When Maxwell translated Faraday's experimental
電磁學的方程式后 observation on electromagnetic fields into equations,
他又發現了其中的不對稱性 he discovered an asymmetry.
看見底部那一條沒有？ See that bottom one?
它急切的需要某些東西 It cries out for something else.
作為一位偉大的數學家 Great mathematician that he was,
麥克斯韋在其后加了一個單項以平衡方程式 Maxwell added a single term to balance it.
方程式的這一調整改變了法拉弟的靜態磁場 This tweaking of the equation changed Faraday's static field
它變成了能以光速向外傳播的波 into waves that spread outward at the speed of light.
沒過多久，人類就發現了 It wasn't long before we found a way to turn those waves...
把這些波轉為 into couriers
傳遞信息工具的方法 for our messages.
你能看到我嗎？ Can you see me?
你能聽到我嗎？ Can you hear me?
這就是根源 This is how.
這項技術改變了人類的文明 This technology has transformed human civilization
世界從一個個東拼西湊起來的城市 from a patchwork of cities,
小鎮和鄉村 towns and villages
變成了互通信息的社會組織體 into an intercommunicating organism...
信息以光速進行傳播 linking us at light speed...
連接著地球上的每一個人 to each other...
甚至是宇宙空間 and to the cosmos.
世上的一切都很美好 Nothing is too wonderful to be true,
只要它能符合自然規律 if it be consistent with the laws of nature.