There are some great questions

自从人类眼中闪耀出智慧之光

that have intrigued and haunted us

就有几个重要问题

since the dawn of humanity.

让我们为之着迷

The story of our search to answer those questions

我们寻找答案的旅程

is the story of science.

就是科学的故事

Of all human endeavours,

在人类所有的成就中

science has had the greatest impact on our lives,

科学对生活的影响最为深刻

on how we see the world,

影响了我们对这个世界

on how we see ourselves.

以及对我们自身的看法

Its ideas, its achievements, its results,

它的思想 成就 结晶

are all around us.

无处不在

So, how did we arrive at the modern world?

我们是如何建立起现代社会的呢

Well, that is more surprising and more human

其过程比你想象的

than you might think.

更神奇 更人性

The history of science

科学的历史

is often told as a series of eureka moments.

常被讲成是一个个的灵光一现

The ultimate triumph of the rational mind.

理性思维的最终胜利

But the truth is that power and passion,

但事实却是 权力与激情

rivalry and sheer blind chance

竞争与纯粹的偶然

have played equally significant parts.

对科学同样重要

In this series,

在这个系列中

I'll be offering a different view of how science happens.

我将会从另一个视角讲述科学的历程

It's been shaped as much

实验室内外

by what's outside the laboratory as inside.

对其影响都同等重要

This is the story of how history made science,

这是一个历史造就科学

and science made history,

科学成就历史

and how the ideas that were generated changed our world.

以及思想改变世界的故事

It is a tale of...

这个故事充满了

and

以及

This time, an ancient human ambition -

本集 人类古已有之的梦想

the search for limitless power.

寻找取之不尽的能源

We are the most power-hungry generation that has ever lived.

从古至今 我们是最渴求能源的一代人

Energy is the heartbeat of our civilisation.

能源就是我们文明的脉搏

The pursuit of power has created and destroyed fortunes.

对能源的追求汇聚了财富 也能将其毁灭

It has raised and toppled nations.

它带来了国家的兴旺 也可将其倾覆

And it has utterly transformed how we live our lives.

并且彻底改变了我们的生活方式

But this relentless search for more power has an importance

但是不懈追求更多能源的意义

that is far greater than discovering what it can do for us.

远不仅仅在于开发它的用途

When people ask themselves "What is power?"

当人们自问 "能源是什么"

As opposed to simply, "Where can I get more of it?"

而不仅仅是 "在哪能找到更多能源"

Well, that led to some of the greatest insights

那个问题带来了整个科学史上

in the whole history of science.

几个最重要的发现

The 17th century was a pivotal edge,

十七世纪是一个重要的转折点

when the balance between man and nature began to change forever.

从那时起 人与自然间的平衡永远地改变了

There was no electricity.

当时没有电

There were no cars, no trains.

没有汽车 没有火车

The most common power sources had to be fed and watered.

最常用的动力源必须喂食饮水

Horsepower meant just that.

马力真的只是"马"力

But a remote beach in Holland

但是在荷兰一处边远的海滩

would provide a glimpse of what was to come.

即将到来的能源革命初现端倪

If you had been walking along

如果你在四百年前

a beach in north-west Holland 400 years ago

沿着荷兰西北部的海滩散步的话

you might have seen

你可能会看到

a much larger version of one of these zip past.

一个更大号的这种东西呼啸而过

It was called the wind chariot.

它被称做陆地风帆

Designed to carry heavily armoured soldiers

设计它是为了沿海岸运输

along the coast line.

身披重甲的士兵

It amazed and terrified in equal measure.

它使人惊奇 同样也令人恐惧

Here was the power of the wind being harnessed

这就是风能被驯服

to produce motion on land.

转化为陆上动力源的鲜明例证

It must have been an extraordinary sight. - Oh, yes.

这绝对是当时的奇观 -是啊

The people were afraid of it and they called it a devil's rig.

人们很害怕它 称之为恶魔的风帆

The devil's rig. Very dramatic, yeah.

恶魔的风帆 印象深刻的名字

How fast? - It could outpace a horse running.

有多快 -可以超过奔跑的骏马

Outpace a horse? So that must have made it

超过马 那这在当时

one of the fastest things in the world at the time.

一定是世界上最快的交通工具了

Probably one of the fastest things.

很可能是最快的之一

Using wind power. - Just wind power.

利用风能 -只用风能

Very impressive.

非常了不起

The wind chariot was designed by

陆地风帆的设计者

an engineer and mathematician

是一位工程师和数学家

called Simon Stevin,

西蒙·斯特芬

a remarkable man who would literally change the face of Holland

一位伟人 他直接改变了荷兰的面貌

and help turn it into a great trading empire.

并使其成为重要的贸易帝国

Because Stevin's ambitions for wind power

因为斯特芬利用风能的雄心

went far beyond chariots.

远不限于陆地风帆

He wanted to transform his country using mathematics.

他希望借助数学彻底改变他的国家

Mathematics was changing.

数学在发展

For hundreds of years, in the universities,

数百年来 在大学中

geometry and arithmetic had been important theoretical pursuits.

几何和计算都是理论研究的重要方向

Practical applications,

而实际应用

like building bridges and firing canons, were limited.

例如建造桥梁和发射大炮 则少有研究

But now, men like Simon Stevin would use maths theory

现在 西蒙·斯特芬等人开始借助数学理论

to create something much bigger...

开拓更宏伟的领域

A new, mathematically grounded science.

以数学为基础的崭新的科学

And that would help them solve a whole range of complex problems.

这将会解决一系列的复杂难题

Now, Stevin was clearly a mathematician

斯特芬显然是

who didn't mind getting his hands dirty.

一位乐于动手实践的数学家

He saw the value of applying mathematical knowledge

他发现了应用数学知识

to the solution of practical problems.

解决实际问题的价值

The problem Stevin turned his mathematics to

斯特芬利用自己的数学知识解决了

was a crucial one in low-lying Holland -

低洼的荷兰面对的一个紧要问题

how to keep the country dry.

如何让国家远离水患

For over a century, Holland's windmills

一个多世纪以来 荷兰的风车

had been scooping water from drainage ditches,

将水从排水沟中抽出

tipping it into canals to carry it away.

让运河将其带走

But Stevin was convinced that

但是斯特芬坚信

mathematics could make windmills much more efficient.

数学可以使风车更有效率

We're at the top of the windmill now

我们现在身处风车顶端

and this is the gearing system.

这就是齿轮系统

This was the heart of what Stevin did.

这是斯特芬发明的核心

Mathematically it's interesting because what he's done is,

它在数学上很有趣 因为他的这个设计

there is no whole number relationship.

并不是整数比

It's not like two to one, three to one between this and this.

两组齿轮间 并不是二比一 或者三比一

There's no regular relationship.

而是没有确定比例

Also you can probably see these things are angled.

同时你可以发现它们是倾斜的

It is not a simple vertical plane meeting a horizontal plane.

这不仅仅是一个垂直齿轮与水平齿轮咬合

It's going at an angle.

而是以某一角度运转

And that is quite difficult to deal with mathematically as well.

这也会给数学上的处理带来困难

It looks crude, but it is fantastically refined.

它看上去很粗糙 但实际上非常精细

It's very impressive. I'm looking forward to seeing it run.

这非常了不起 我想看它运转起来

Magnificent. isn't it?

很壮观 对吧

It's like being inside an enormous clock.

像是身处一座巨钟之内

Standing here, you get the impression

站在这里 你会感受到

of immense, inexorable power

巨大 不可阻挡的力量

which is sort of just driving round and round.

它就这样不停地运转着

And the thing which surprises me is it is so quiet.

令我惊讶的是它如此安静

And that is a tribute to Stevin's mathematics

这得益于斯特芬的数学知识

because he obviously got it right.

显然是他设计精准

The interactions all work.

内部组件运行良好

There's very little clanking.

这里只有极小的叮当声

If all that power was being wasted in sound and heat,

如果能量被噪音和摩擦产生的热量消耗了

this whole place would be vibrating.

整个风车都会颤动

But actually it's very smooth.

但事实上它运行得十分流畅

This new, mathematically designed windmill

这崭新的 利用数学知识设计的风车

was three times more efficient than the ones it replaced.

与原有的风车相比 效率提高了三倍

It's almost poetic.

这简直是富有诗意的

I mean, this is a mathematical model realised in a physical reality.

这是数学模型在现实中的成功应用

Stevin designed new paddle wheel shapes, sluices,

斯特芬设计了新的桨轮形状 水闸

even a chain of windmills

甚至一连串的风车

that could be used to drain not just fields, but a lake.

不仅可以排干农田 还能抽空一片湖

What's more, he patented his many inventions

而且 他为自己的多项发明申请了专利

to ensure his work would be well rewarded.

以此保证自己的工作可以带来巨大收益

Mathematics made Stevin rich.

数学使斯特芬变得富有

And it wasn't long before it started to change the whole country.

同时它很快便改变了整个国家

Simon Stevin had shown what

西蒙·斯特芬向人们展示了

really well designed windmills were capable of.

完美设计的风车的作用

And people now began to ask themselves,

人们开始自问

If they could drain lakes, what else could they do?

它们能排干湖水 那它们还能做什么

Holland was already an emerging European force.

荷兰已经成为新兴的欧洲强国

Now the power of windmills helped turn it into

现在风车的力量将其变为

an industrial power house.

工业大国

Seeds and nuts were ground to extract their valuable oil.

种子和坚果被研磨 榨出珍贵的油

Paper mills became mechanised.

造纸厂开始机械化

Wood could be cut 30 times faster

木材以超过手工30倍的速度

and with greater precision than by hand.

和更高的精度被切割

Helping to turn this small country

这使得这个小国

into the biggest ship builders in western Europe.

一跃成为西欧最大的造船中心

To the sound of mathematically designed mills

伴随着这精确设计的风车

whirring in the wind

在风中飞转的呼啸声

Holland became an even more dynamic trading nation.

荷兰成为了更加繁荣的贸易大国

And Amsterdam one of the richest

阿姆斯特丹成为了地球上最富有

and most cosmopolitan cities on earth.

最国际化的城市之一

Here, you could buy almost anything -

在这里 你几乎可以买到任何东西

diamonds, furs, exotic spices.

钻石 毛皮 异国香料

Amsterdam was enjoying a golden age.

阿姆斯特丹迎来了它的黄金时代

The city produced the first central bank,

这座城市创办了第一家中央银行

the first stock exchange

第一家证券交易所

and the first economic crash.

也遭受了史上第一次经济危机

The growth of Holland changed the power map of Europe.

荷兰的崛起改变了欧洲各国的势力分布

It had been helped by advances in windmill design

荷兰的飞速发展得益于风车设计的进步

and new mathematically based science.

加之以数学为基础的新科学

And a belief amongst men like Simon Stevin

以及很多和西蒙·斯特芬一样

that science should be useful.

相信科学能够造福人类的人

It was obvious what power could do.

能源的非凡作用已是尽人皆知

But what was still missing

然而当时的科学家却无法

was any scientific understanding of what power actually is.

解释清楚能源究竟为何物

That would only begin to emerge far later,

多年后 这一问题的神秘面纱

on the other side of the Channel.

才在英吉利海峡对岸悄然揭开

The English country house of the 18th century

十八世纪的英国乡间别墅

was a place of intrigue, romance and gossip.

充满阴谋诡计 浪漫传奇与风流韵事

But, between visits from dashing cavalry officers,

虽然这里的常客多是气度不凡的骑兵军官

these bastions of high society

但在这些上层社会的城堡中

also hosted the occasional visiting experimenter.

也间或接待一些实验家

The home of an unlikely alliance

科学与上流社会不可思议地聚集一处

that marked the birth of a world changing new source of power.

标志着一种能够改变世界的新能源的诞生

Science had become popular entertainment

在客厅中观看科学实验

for the drawing room.

成为了喜闻乐见的娱乐方式

Most of these contraptions had been developed

很多新实验器材被发明出来

to explore the wonders of the age,

以探索当时的神奇发现

like static charge and magnetism.

比如静电荷与磁力

Now that really is impressive.

真是令人啧啧称奇

Now, this was a real crowd pleaser.

下面这个实验很受欢迎

The vacuum trick.

那就是真空魔术

What you do is you take an alarm,

先拿起一只闹钟

set it to go off,

设定好响铃时间

then put it in here,

放入玻璃罩中

and pump out the air.

然后抽出罩中的空气

Right.

好了

The alarm clock goes off,

现在响铃时间到了

and you hear...absolutely nothing.

而你 却一点声音也听不到

No-one fully understood the science behind these demonstrations.

没人能完全理解这些现象蕴含的科学原理

But the ability to dazzle and intrigue

但这些光怪陆离 引人入胜的实验

helped bring new ideas to a new and attentive audience.

却将新鲜想法带给了一位好奇的观众

Matthew Boulton was an entrepreneur

马修·博尔顿是一位实业家

who belonged to the Lunar Society,

他是月光社的会员

so called because they met on the night of the full moon.

月光社因其通常在月圆之夜集会而得名

They were industrialists,

他们大多是企业家

experimenters and natural philosophers

实验家以及自然哲学家

who all shared a love of practical knowledge.

他们都很热衷于研究具有实用性的知识

A leading Lunar man was Scottish engineer,

月光社的骨干之一是来自苏格兰的工程师

James Watt.

詹姆斯·瓦特

For some years Watt had been working with prototype steam engines.

多年来瓦特一直在设法改良原始的蒸汽机

And this prompted Matthew Boulton

马修·博尔顿得知后

to invite him to take part in a joint business venture.

决意邀请瓦特加入他的合资企业

He had heard that Watt was trying to develop

他听说瓦特当时正努力想研制出

a new type of steam engine.

一种新式的蒸汽机

As he later wrote to Watt,

稍后他给瓦特的信中提到

the reason for backing were twofold -

愿意赞助他 有两重原因

love of you

看重你的才干

and love of a money-getting ingenious project.

也看重收益丰厚的创新计划

Now, the plan was clear.

这样一来 分工很明确

Boulton had the capital, Watt had the idea.

博尔顿提供资金 瓦特贡献技术

Together they would get seriously rich.

他们强强联手 将狠狠地捞上一笔

This was capitalism in action.

这就是付诸实践的资本主义

The steam engine had enormous global impact.

蒸汽机的出现在全世界引起了巨大反响

And yet the surprising thing is,

然而 令人惊叹的是

there was hardly any scientific theory behind it.

瓦特在设计过程中并未依靠任何科学理论

That would come later.

蒸汽机的原理日后才为人知晓

This is a Boulton and Watt steam engine.

这是一台博尔顿与瓦特制作的蒸汽机

And this the familiar bit - man, coal, furnace.

眼前是熟悉的情景 工人 煤炭和锅炉

But what you might not expect

但大家可能想象不到的是

is it is stationary and it is vast.

蒸汽机无法移动 而且体积庞大

This single machine occupies the whole building.

一台蒸汽机就占据了整个一间房子

So vast that this engine,

这台蒸汽机是如此巨大

originally built to keep the nearby canal topped up with water,

它的操作员自豪地告诉我 它最初的作用

boasts its very own driver.

是不断给旁边的运河注满水

Hi, there. - Hello.

你好 -你好

Hello. - Nice to see you.

你好 -很高兴认识你

You're the driver?

你就是操作员吗

Yes, I'm the driver of this engine.

是的 我是这台蒸汽机的操作员

I am amazed. This is still working, isn't it?

真的好神奇 这台机器还能工作 是吧

Actually doing the job.

竟然还能正常运转

This, at this moment, is actually maintaining the canal.

此刻 它还在维持着运河的水位

The electric pumps which British Waterways normally use are switched off

英国水道局常用的电动水泵现在关掉了

and we're actually doing that job.

它就顶替了水泵的任务

Can I have a go at driving?

我能试着操作一下吗

You certainly can. Step round this lever.

没问题 请站到操纵盘旁边来

Always wanted to drive a steam engine.

我一直想亲手操作一下蒸汽机

This wasn't quite what I'd imagined it. Right OK.

这与我想象的情形不尽相同 好的

- So... - Turn that lever to the left,

怎样做呢 -向左转动操纵盘

to left about a quarter of a turn.

向左转四分之一圈即可

There's a sort of narrow window between...

似乎有个短暂的瞬间

There is. There are indeed.

没错 的确是这样

What drove the engine

推动蒸汽机的能量

was not so much the power of the steam directly,

并非直接来源于蒸汽

rather an industrial version

而是乡间别墅上演的

of that country house trick

闹钟魔术的工业版本

the vacuum.

真空

The steam is injected,

蒸汽被注入汽缸中

then cooled, creating a vacuum.

随后冷凝 造成缸内真空

It's this which drags the piston head down

从而牵引活塞向下运动

providing the engine with its lifting power.

同时为蒸汽机提供升力

Close it, another quarter of a turn.

调小一点 再转四分之一圈

- What's happened? - Well, you actually closed it too far.

怎么回事 -你把它调得太小了

Okay, it stoped.

所以蒸汽机就停下了

This is not good.

我的表现糟透了

I was thinking it was really quite simple

本以为是小菜一碟

and then within literally 30 seconds of taking charge of this machine

结果我刚接管机器30秒

I managed to stop it, which is quite bad.

就把它给弄停了 真是太糟糕了

- Did it went back in... - That's looking good.

恢复正常了吗 -现在好了

James Watt didn't invent the steam engine

蒸汽机并不是詹姆斯·瓦特发明的

or even the idea of using a vacuum.

以真空为动力也不是他的灵感

Engines had been powered this way for decades.

真空驱动的蒸汽机已应用了几十年

Watt's fame, and that of his machine,

瓦特和他的蒸汽机之所以名扬天下

rests instead on one small modification

其实是因为他对蒸汽机做了个小小的改良

located here, right at the bottom of the engine.

就在这里 在蒸汽机的底部

It may not look like much,

虽然看似并不起眼

but down there is James Watt's unique contribution

但詹姆斯·瓦特对能源的特殊贡献

to the story of power.

就在蒸汽机的底部

It's called a separate condenser.

它叫作分离式冷凝器

It's where the steam was cooled

蒸汽就是在这里进行冷凝

to create the all-important vacuum

从而使至关重要的真空得以产生

well away from the hot cylinders,

瓦特让它远离炽热的汽缸

a small but ingenious technical innovation

这一微小却绝妙的技术革新

with enormous benefits.

带来了巨大的收益

The Boulton and Watt steam engines

博尔顿与瓦特制造的蒸汽机

were far more efficient than their rivals.

其热效率远远高于对手

They used a quarter of the amount of coal.

它的耗煤量仅是普通蒸汽机的四分之一

The potential savings were enormous.

这种蒸汽机将节省大量燃料

Something any business man could understand.

精打细算的生意人肯定能算清这笔帐

Over to you.

还是交给你吧

Thank you.

多谢

Why some ideas change the world

为何有些灵感能够改变整个世界

while others languish, unloved and unnoticed,

而有些却遭人冷落 无人问津

is seldom down to their intrinsic merit.

其实并不在于前者本身有多优越

The success of Boulton and Watt's engine

博尔顿与瓦特制造的蒸汽机之所以大获成功

was not just due to new technology,

并不仅仅是因为他们运用了新技术

but also a clever piece of financial engineering.

而是因为他们还巧妙地利用了金融工程学

The machines were complicated and needed someone to install them

蒸汽机的结构很复杂 需要专人进行安装

and that someone was more often than not James Watt himself.

而詹姆斯·瓦特总是需要亲力亲为

In his letters he complains bitterly

他在信中痛苦地抱怨说

about all the travelling he had to do.

自己总是得到处出差

Walk on.

走吧

Gee up, boys. Go on. Go on.

快点 小伙子们 加快速度 快点

And you can sort of see why, can't you?

明白瓦特为何如此痛恨出差了吧

Lots of jolting. Now this is bearable...

太颠簸了 现在尚可忍受

short trip, middle of summer.

因为旅途很短 又正值盛夏

But imagine there it's cold, it's winter,

但请大家想象一下 如果是寒冷的冬日

it is absolutely lashing down - completely different experience.

外面风雪交加 又将会是怎样一番滋味

But the discomfort of 18th-century travel

虽然十八世纪的旅行条件恶劣

was a price worth paying

但受这份罪却是值得的

because once his engines had been installed,

因为只要他的蒸汽机安装完毕

the money began to flood in.

钱就会源源不断

This three-page document was the key to Boulton and Watt's wealth.

这三页文件是博尔顿与瓦特的财富之源

It's a patent.

它是份专利证书

It covers Watt's adaptations to the steam engine.

其中详尽地描述了瓦特对蒸汽机进行的改良

Now, you had to go on paying royalties year after year,

安装这种蒸汽机后 就必须年复一年地

long after the machine was installed.

向瓦特与博尔顿支付专利税

Any savings you made from the machine,

机器给你省下的钱

a proportion went straight back to them.

必须分给瓦特与博尔顿一部分

I think it's very telling how scientific discovery

这生动地说明了科学发现

is rarely far away from the smell of money,

总是离不开对金钱的追逐

and that's especially true of the search for power.

而这在追寻能源的道路上体现得尤为真切

But, for all the riches on offer,

尽管能源带来了的财富

there was still no real scientific framework

却仍没有真正的科学体系

to explain what power actually is.

来解释能源到底是什么

Science would have to wait

这一科学体系

till steam power became a force throughout the land.

需待蒸汽动力成为英国的主要能源之时

The big demand for steam engines was in the West Country,

英国西南部各郡对蒸汽机的需求量最大

pumping flood water from mines.

因为他们需要从矿井中抽水

Their owners soon became reliant

没过多久 矿场主便再也离不开

on Boulton and Watt's more efficient machines.

博尔顿与瓦特制造的高效率蒸汽机了

Some mine owners, fed up with royalties,

有些矿场主受够了无休无止的专利税

stopped paying.

便开始拖欠

Boulton and Watt got tough

于是博尔顿与瓦特采取强硬手段

and responded with legal writs.

一纸诉状 将他们告上了法庭

It's said that a delivery man who came to one of these mines

据说曾有一位负责递送传票的人来到矿场

was seized by the ankles, hung over the mine shaft

被捆住双踝 倒吊在井道上

and asked if he still wanted to deliver that writ.

之后被逼问 还敢不敢送传票了

The man behind that particular story was Richard Trevithick.

其始作俑者就是理查·特里维西克

To get round of Watt's patent,

为了避开瓦特的专利

Trevithick began to build his own engines.

特里维西克开始自己动手造蒸汽机

This was his greatest achievement,

这就是他的伟大发明

the Puffing Devil,

冒烟的魔鬼

all eight horsepower of it.

功率足有六千瓦

And unlike Boulton and Watt's engine,

不同于博尔顿与瓦特的蒸汽机

it moved.

它会动

Trevithick's genius was

特里维西克的天才之处在于

he built high pressure steam engines

他发明的高压蒸汽机

where the steam drives the piston.

是由蒸汽驱动活塞

So he didn't need vacuums or condensers.

所以不需要真空或是冷凝器

Instead of being the size of houses,

体积也没有一座房子那么大

his steam engines were small, powerful, mobile.

而且动力强劲 可移动

And as an added bonus

还有个附加效果

they produced that wonderful "Whoo-hoo" noise.

它会发出一种奇妙的呜呼声

That's the sound of high-pressure steam escaping.

这是高压蒸汽逃逸时的声音

I'd read that people thought they were incredibly dangerous,

我从书中看到 当时人们觉得它很危险

and people thought...not unreasonably,

人们有理由认为

that they would blow up, the high-pressure system.

高压系统会让它爆炸

You're quite right.

你说的很对

They didn't have the knowledge of metallurgy that we do today,

当时的人没有现代的冶金知识

and yes, they did get boiler explosions.

所以 是的 锅炉会爆炸

There's no enormous risk of this particular one blowing up, I take it?

但这个应该不会马上就爆吧

Not at all. Not at all.

不会 完全不会

This new steam engine clearly pointed to a better way

显然 这种新型蒸汽机是更好的交通工具

of moving goods and people around.

方便运输和出行

Yet Trevithick has not gone down in history

但特里维西克却没有作为现代铁路之父

as the father of the modern railway.

被载入史册

I gather that he actually did, on one occasion,

我猜他真的曾经

manage to get his steam car, if you like,

试过把他的蒸汽车 我能这么叫吧

on a track, on a railway.

开上轨道或铁路

Why didn't it work?

为什么没成功呢

The engine weighed five tonnes or so,

发动机大约有五吨重

so the rails broke under the weight of the engine.

轨道负担不了 被压坏了

So the problem was not actually the train at all.

所以问题不是出在车上

It was simply the rail It was running on. - Absolutely.

而是出在轨道上 -肯定的

Yes, the engine worked a dream.

对 机器工作起来可棒了

- Right. That is incredibly ironic, isn't it? - Yeah.

是啊 这可真讽刺 -对啊

The history of science is full of moments like this.

这样的时刻在科学史上数不胜数

Great ideas have to come at the right place and the right time.

伟大想法必需天时地利

Sadly for Trevithick,

但对特里维西克来说 很不幸

the place and time were wrong.

时间地点都错了

So why didn't he die rich and famous?

为什么他到死都名利两空呢

Well, it's partly because he didn't have

部分原因是他没有

his own Matthew Boulton

马修·博尔特这样的人

to get his inventions out there

去经营自己的发明

and to make sure he was raking in the cash.

确保机器大卖 财源滚滚

But it's also because his ideas were well ahead of their time.

但也是因为他的观念太超前

In the early 1800s, if you wanted to get from A to B,

在十九世纪早期 如果想从一处到另一处

you were better off buying a horse.

最好去买匹马

Steam engines would eventually bring unprecedented change,

蒸汽机终将带来的空前变革

borne out of a combination of different forces.

是各种力量共同作用的成果

The Lunar Society, where men of science and business

月光社使科学家与实业家

could meet and exchange ideas.

聚集一堂 交流思想

Technical innovations, like high-pressure steam.

高压蒸汽等技术创新

The promise of money and the protection of patents.

充足的资金及专利保护

From all this emerged

它们共同孕育了

a previously unimaginable source of power...

一种前所未有的动力源

...the mechanical equivalent of countless horses

远比马高效的机械

to work the factories and mills of the 19th-century landscape.

成为了十九世纪工厂作坊的动力来源

The steam engines, their profits, their owners,

蒸汽机及其利润 还有它的所有者

these were the forces shaping Victorian Britain.

是塑造维多利亚时代英国的三大力量

But the effects of all this power

但蒸汽机的影响力

were felt far beyond the world of heavy industry.

已经远远延伸到了重工业世界以外

The new aristocracy of factory owners and businessmen

工厂主和商人出身的新贵族

knew just how they wanted to use their new-found influence.

对如何利用新势力了然于心

Some used their wealth to campaign for social change,

他们花钱宣传社会变革

like the abolition of slavery

推动了奴隶制的废除

or the education of women.

及女性受教育权的实现

The search for power had given political power

对能源的探索还将政治权利

to a new group of people,

赋予了一个新的阶层

the middle classes.

中产阶级

The quest for power had produced so much...

对能源的追求影响深远

but with no more scientific understanding

但与之相关的科学知识

than had existed a century before.

还停留在一个世纪以前

Only now, belatedly, came the theorists.

到了此时 理论家才终于出现

The Victorians were utterly entranced

维多利亚时代的人们

by the power of steam.

为蒸汽的力量心醉神迷

But the science behind it

但它背后的科学原理

pose some of the greatest questions of the age.

却是那个时代最大的问号

It demanded a new theory,

因此需要新理论

a new way of looking at nature.

和新角度来看待自然

Fortunately help was at hand.

幸运的是 救星就在眼前

This is Mrs Beeton's Book Of Household Management,

这本是《比顿夫人家务管理大全》

a Victorian classic,

维多利亚时代的经典著作

which contains pretty well everything you need to know

它会教你如何把家务处理得有效得当

about how to run a household efficiently and well,

几乎涵盖了家务的各方各面

including how to sack your servants.

包括怎么解雇仆人

Frugality and economy are virtues,

勤俭持家是为美德

without which no household can prosper."

如若不然则家不兴

Mrs Beeton, like so many in Victorian society,

和大多维多利亚时代的人一样 比顿夫人

was obsessed with efficiency.

对效率痴迷不已

Waste was not just uneconomical,

浪费不仅是不节俭的

it was also un-Christian.

更是有违教义的

In the kitchen, if you had old bones, you made soup.

在厨房里 啃剩的骨头就用来做汤

If you had old bread, you made a pudding.

干面包则用来做布丁

And this obsession was shared by the scientific community.

当时的科学界也同样痴迷于此

In fact, it led to the development of

事实上 正是这种痴迷导致了

a whole new concept, that of energy.

一个全新能量概念的形成

使用量逾万

蒸汽打谷机

As steam engines took off,

蒸汽机的成功问世

people became interested in comparing

使人们开始热衷于

which engines were most efficient.

比较哪种发动机效率最高

A new theory of energy

一套新的能量理论

would now help them make precisely that sort of judgment.

恰恰能帮助人们做出判断

No-one really knew what energy is.

但没人知道能量到底是什么

Some people thought of it as a fluid

有人把能量看做一种液体

which flows from one place to another.

会从一处流到另一处

But what was becoming increasingly clear is

有一点越来越明显

it could be transferred.

能量是可以被转移的

The steam engine, like a kettle, could be explained scientifically.

蒸汽机可以用科学道理解释 就像这只水壶

As it burns,

水壶在烧水时

chemical energy from the coal is turned into heat.

煤炭中的化学能转化成热能

This energy heats the kettle and the water inside....

这种能量会给水壶和里面的水加热

which turns into steam,

水于是转化成蒸汽

which can then be used to perform work.

进而驱动机器工作

It sounds really simple,

听起来挺简单

but this was a turning point in science.

却是科学史上的转折点

For the first time, such diverse things

这些完全不同的过程

as heating coals,

煤炭的燃烧

warming water,

水的加热

production of steam,

蒸汽的产生

even the spinning of windmills

甚至风车的旋转

could all be united by a single concept -

第一次被融合进一个概念

that of energy.

能量的概念

It led to the formulation of a new law of physics,

由此形成了一条新的物理定律

one that is absolutely fundamental.

一条无疑是根本性的定律

It's called the first law of thermodynamics.

叫做热力学第一定律

The first law of thermodynamics

热力学第一定律

is a mathematical description of energy,

是用数学的方式解释能量

known as conservation of energy.

称作能量守恒

It states that energy cannot be created or destroyed.

能量守恒认为能量不能被创造或消灭

So you can never get more out

所以最终得到的能量绝不会

than is contained in the fuel you put in.

比最初燃料蕴含的能量多

And it applies to every source of power there is -

此项定律适用于所有能量形式

from kettles, to steam engines,

无论是来自水壶或是蒸汽机

to windmills.

或是风车

Everything.

所有一切

Thermodynamics was one of

热力学成为十九世纪

the crowning glories of 19th-century science,

最辉煌的科学发现之一

inspired in part

这项发现

by the need to explain that wonder of the age,

是应时代的奇迹

the steam engine.

蒸汽机而生

And by an obsession

也因人们对

with thrift and efficiency.

勤俭和效率的痴迷而生

But thermodynamics was only one component

但热力学只是冰山一角

of what was to be

它要构成的是

a far more comprehensive theory of energy and power.

一套更为全面的关于能源与动力的理论

In June 1772, a small sailing expedition

1772年6月 一支小型航海探险队

set off for the coast of France

动身前往法国海岸线

on a voyage that would help point science towards the modern age.

这次航程将会推动现代科学的产生

Its leader was John Walsh,

领头人叫约翰·沃尔什

recently retired from the British East India Company.

不久前刚从英国东印度公司退休

Walsh was fascinated by the electricity found in nature.

自然界中发现的电令沃尔什着迷

He went looking for it, not in the skies,

他追逐电的踪迹 却不是往空中

but under water

而是在水下

in a fish.

在鱼里

The torpedo fish

一种叫作电鳐的鱼

which uses electric shocks to catch its prey.

这种鱼会电击猎食

Walsh wanted to find out

沃尔什想要找出

whether the power emitted by this strange fish

这种奇怪的鱼放出的电

was the same as that given off by lightning

是否和闪电或是火花发生器

or a spark generator.

产生的电相同

Having done numerous experiments

沃尔什在他自己和船员身上做了

on himself and his crew,

无数次实验后

Walsh now headed back to London to try and find out

他回到了伦敦 试图找出

just how the torpedo fish produced electric shocks.

电鳐是怎样发出电击的

Some of the fish Walsh brought back

部分沃尔什带回的鱼

are still preserved at the Hunterian Museum in London.

至今仍保存在伦敦的亨特利安博物馆里

They were dissected by the renowned surgeon John Hunter

著名外科医生约翰·亨特解剖了这些鱼

to reveal some very peculiar organs.

发现了一些非常特别的器官

Well, you see these two patches of white tissue,

看到这两块白色组织了吗

one top, one bottom either side of the fish?

上下各有一个 在鱼身体两侧

These are things which Hunter hadn't seen before in other fish,

亨特在解剖其他鱼时

other rays that he'd dissected.

其他鳐形目时从没发现过这些

Right. This one looks very different.

是啊 这个看来很不一样

It's a much more detailed dissection,

这个解剖更为细致精妙

but also Hunter's worked a bit of magic on it

亨特变魔术般地

by injecting it with a red dye

给鱼注射了某种人造红色素

to show where the blood vessels are.

让血管显现出来

The electric charge seemed to come from these tiny cells,

电流似乎来自于这些微小的细胞

now known as electrocytes,

现在被称之为发电细胞

found within the electric organs.

存在于发电器官内

It is extraordinary because you begin to see

这份标本非常奇妙 你会看到

where the charge would have come from.

电流从哪里来

You can actually see each of the cells.

还能看到每个细胞

It is beautiful, isn't it?

很漂亮 不是么

A work of art.

艺术品

A work of art in its own right, isn't it?

本身就是一件艺术品 不是么

Walsh was convinced that the electricity from the torpedo fish

沃尔什相信电鳐产生的电流

was not only the same as the electricity in lightning,

不仅与闪电中的电相同

but that it must be possible to produce it using a machine.

甚至还可以用机器制造出来

But plenty of people did not agree with Walsh.

但很多人不同意沃尔什的观点

It seemed almost sacrilegious to claim

人类发明的机器产生的电流

that electricity from a machine made by man was exactly the same

竟然无异于上帝创造的鱼类带有的电流

as electricity from a fish which had been created by God.

是会受到天谴的

And yet, proof that this was the case was not far away.

但是 这种观点的证据很快就出现了

In the archives of the Royal Society in London

伦敦英国皇家学院的档案室里

sits a letter that dates back to 1800.

存放着一封来自1800年的信函

Written by an Italian scientist

作者是位意大利科学家

Alessandro Volta

亚历山德罗·伏特

essentially it contains instructions

信中大致说明了

on how to build your very own torpedo fish.

如何制作一条人造电鳐

This is a copy of the letter

这是伏特寄给

that Volta sent to the Royal Society.

皇家学会信函的复印件

It's in French, got a useful diagram over in the corner.

法文写的 左上角是示意图

I've also got a box here of bits and pieces.

我这里有所需的零部件

Right, first of all I need some zinc and some copper.

首先 我需要锌片和铜片

Also I need some bits of cardboard or tissue

还需要一些能够吸收盐溶液的

capable of soaking up a briny solution.

纸板或者纸巾

It is very hard to believe

很难相信

this is actually going to do anything.

这会产生什么反应

We shall see.

拭目以待

A piece of copper on the top and I've got a lead on it.

在顶端的铜片上连根导线

Now, if you look at it closely, it really does resemble

现在 如果你仔细观察 会发现

the working bits, if you like, of a torpedo fish.

这与电鳐的发电组织相似

And he suggested to call it an artificial electric organ.

他建议称其为 人造发电器官

The "Voltaic pile", as it became known,

它被称为发电堆

could generate a significant electric current.

能够产生明显的电流

Volta couldn't measure it,

沃尔什无法测量

but he could demonstrate that it delivered a shock,

但是能够演示它可以放出电流

just like the torpedo fish.

就如电鳐一样

What's interesting is that Volta, when he writes to the Royal Society,

有趣的是 沃尔什写信给皇家学院时

effectively gives away all his secrets,

实际上泄漏了其中的奥秘

which is a bit of a shame for him because this turned out to be

对他而言有些可惜

one of the greatest technological discoveries of all time.

因为这成为了史上最重大的科技发现之一

It is of course the battery.

这就是电池

What is really surprising, looking at it from a modern perspective,

以现代人角度看来 令人吃惊的是

is that for a long time

很长一段时间里

people had no idea what to do with the battery.

人们不知道用电池能做什么

It had not obvious practical application.

它没有明显的实用价值

There was nothing to plug it into.

不知道能塞到什么东西里

It would be a generation before somebody managed to find

30年之后 才有人找到了

a really significant practical use.

电池的用武之地

An ingenious response to a rather urgent problem.

巧妙地解决了一个相当急迫的问题

On the 18th June 1815,

1815年6月18日

the armies of the Duke of Wellington

惠灵顿公爵的军队

and the Emperor Napoleon met at Waterloo.

与拿破仑军队于滑铁卢短兵相接

It was a battle on whose outcome rested the fate of Europe.

这一战役的结果决定了欧洲的命运

By the end of the day, the battle was over. The French had lost.

日落时分 战斗结束 法国战败

Wellington was keen to get

惠灵顿公爵

this good news to London as quickly as possible.

急切的想把捷报尽快传到伦敦

Major Henry Percy was ordered to carry the message.

亨利·帕西少校负责递送消息

He mounted his battle-weary horse

他骑上疲惫不堪的战马

and rode off across Belgium until he got to the coast.

穿越比利时直达海岸边

When he arrived, he had to wait for the correct wind and tide

抵达海岸时 要等待合适的风向和潮汐

before finally he could set sail for England.

才能最终坐船驶向英国

In all, it took him four days to reach London,

他总共花了四天到达伦敦

four days during which I'm sure the people in the war office

漫漫四天 我相信军队司令部的人

were biting their fingernails with anxiety

一定寝食难安

because many expected the French to win.

因为很多人认为法国会赢

Now, if you could have got

当时 如果你有办法

a secret message from Waterloo to London

以比帕西少校更快的速度把密信

faster than Major Percy,

从滑铁卢传到伦敦

you could have made a fortune, betting on an improbable English victory.

由于英国难能可贵的胜利 你肯定发财了

There was clearly a need for faster communication.

显然需要信息传递得越快越好

Volta's Pile was about to get plugged into something useful.

沃尔什的发电堆将会派上用场

And this time it was science that led the way,

这一次 科学引领了世界发展的方向

thanks to a man called Hans Christian Oersted.

这多亏了汉斯·克里斯蒂安·奥斯特

The story goes he was about to give a lecture

故事源于他要给学生上课

and he was preparing his equipment.

当他在准备器材时

Amongst it, he had a voltaic pile and some wire.

其中就有一个发电堆和一些电线

When he connected up the wire,

当他接通电线时

something utterly unexpected happened.

出乎意料的事发生了

The needle of a nearby compass twitched

旁边指南针的指针偏转了

and every time he connected the wire

每次当他接通电线

or disconnected

或者断开时

it moved again.

都会偏转

People had known for centuries

几百年前

that compass needles were deflected by magnets.

人们就已知道磁铁会让指针偏转

Somehow the electric current in the wire

然而 电线中的电流

was also acting like a magnet

也有类似于磁铁的作用

deflecting the needle, which left Oersted completely baffled.

电流偏转了指针 奥斯特为此困惑不已

Now, he obviously realised this was important

那时 他显然意识到这很重要

because he did further research and published his findings.

因为他随后做了深入研究并发表了结果

But I think it's extremely unlikely he ever appreciated

不过我认为他根本没意识到

just what a massive impact his discovery would make on the world.

他的发现对世界有多么深远的影响

Within a few years, that twitching compass needle

短短几年 偏转的指南针

had grown into the electric telegraph.

发展成为电报机

The power of electricity could now be used

现在 电几乎能够

to get messages from A to B almost instantaneously.

让信息即时从一地传达另一地

Telegraph tables were soon running right across the globe.

电报很快遍布了整个世界

And when the telegraph came together

当电报与蒸汽机

with that other great invention the steam engine,

两个伟大的发明横空出世

the combination was unstoppable.

两者势不可挡

Steam power did the heavy work -

蒸汽动力承担了最繁重的工作

draining mines, spinning cotton,

挖矿 纺棉

powering a new railway network.

为新建的铁路系统提供动力

And with the telegraph that ran alongside those same railways,

电报紧随铁路而来

the battery brought control

电池控制了一切

political and financial.

不论是政治 还是经济

Together, they helped build the empires of 19th-century Europe.

两者共同协助缔造了十九世纪的欧洲帝国

The stage was now set for the next step

进一步以科学的方法了解能源

in the scientific understanding of power.

万事俱备

The tiny, twitching needle of the telegraph

电报机里小小的 偏转的指针

had shown how electricity from a battery could be truly useful.

向我们展示了电池的实用价值

But what's happening here is also something

但是这个现象

which is much more profound.

有着更深远的意义

It is the coming together of two great forces

这是两种伟大力量的共同作用

that previously were regarded as utterly separate.

之前这两种力量被认为是完全不同的

And covering the link between two things

电流和指南针看似毫无联系

as disparate as an electric current and a magnetic compass

发现两者之间的联系

was one of the greatest achievements of science,

正是最伟大的科学成果之一

a major step towards a unified concept of energy.

人们向着完整的能量概念 又迈进了一步

Electricity was the crowd pleaser.

电是大众宠儿

Flashes, sparks, electric shocks.

电光 电火花 电击

Magnetism was altogether more sedate,

磁力则没那么惹人注目

something of interest mainly to navigators.

只有航海家对它有兴趣

But when the two came together,

但当电与磁相结合

they created the science of electromagnetism

创造出了电磁科学

that would dominate the 19th century.

这门学科在十九世纪呼风唤雨

Electromagnetism not only explained

电磁学不仅解释了

the relationship between electricity and magnetism,

电和磁之间的关系

it would go on to explain the very nature of light...

还会在以后用来解释光的本质

..of radio waves...

无线电波

of x-rays.

X射线

And it helped persuade 19th-century physicists

这使得十九世纪的物理学家

that they had now discovered all the fundamental laws of nature.

认为他们已经发现了自然的全部基本规律

As it turned out,

结果表明

this cosy assumption was somewhat wide of the mark.

这种乐观的想法无异于痴人说梦

At the turn of the 20th century,

随着二十世纪到来

the discovery of a new element

一种新元素的发现

was splashed across front pages all over the world.

登上了世界各国报纸的头版头条

One reason for all the excitement

人们为之激动的原因之一

was the way radium behaved.

在于镭的特性

It spontaneously glowed in the dark

它能在黑暗中发光

and created ghostly patterns on photographic plates.

在照相底片上留下鬼魅般的身影

It seemed to be creating energy out of nowhere.

它似乎能凭空产生能量

Radium's mysterious properties caught the public imagination,

镭的奥秘唤起了公众的想象力

helping to sell a new range of consumer products

推动了一系列与镭有关的产品问世

which was unfortunate, since radium is radioactive.

不幸的是 镭有放射性

Thank you. - have a look.

谢谢 -过来看

OK. So what am I looking at?

我看到的是什么

Well, you're looking at

你看到的是

a variety of radioactive consumer products,

各种含镭消费品

mostly from the 1920s,

多数是20世纪20年代

produced in the United States.

美国生产的

So this one here, for example,

例如 这个

you actually put... - Water in it. - you put Water in it?

往里面 -倒水 -往里面倒水吗

That is the most famous of the radioactive quack cures,

这是最有名的放射性庸医疗法

at least in the United States.

至少是在美国

Over half a million of these were sold.

销售了近百万台

This is a similar device,

这有个类似的设备

except, rather than put the water in it,

不是在里面放水

you would put this in the water.

而是把它放入水中

This is not radioactive now, I take it? Or mildly?

现在它没有放射性了吧 还有只有一点

Yes, it is radioactive, but it's mild.

有放射性 一点点而已

It is quite spooky, I must admit.

我必须承认 这有点吓人

I can hear it still active all these years later.

这么多年了还具有放射性

So great was the hype

广告大肆宣扬

that small amounts were put into toothpaste,

微量镭被加入牙膏里

heat pads, toys.

加热垫里 玩具里

Just the name radium was enough to sell a product.

只要名字上带镭就足以卖得出去

Radium, er...

含镭的

condoms!

避孕套

Oh, it's an empty box.

是空盒子

I was looking forward to seeing a radium condom.

我还挺想看看加镭的避孕套呢

The scientists responsible for first isolating radium

镭元素的首次分离要归功于

were Marie Curie and her husband, Pierre.

科学家玛丽·居里 和她的丈夫皮埃尔

It didn't take them long to recognise

他们很快便发现了

its extraordinary potential.

镭元素的惊人潜能

One of the things that stood out in Marie's mind

在镭的众多特性中

and piqued her curiosity and interest

玛丽注意到了一点

was the tremendous amount of energy

镭能释放出巨大的能量

that was being released by the radium.

这激发了她的好奇心和兴趣

So they saw radium as an unlimited,

所以他们觉得镭能源是取之不尽的

or at least potentially unlimited source of energy, did they?

至少有可能成为无限的能量源 是吗

Yes. Absolutely.

是 没错

Just one gram contained enough energy

仅仅一克镭所能释放的能量

to turn a tonne of freezing water into steam...

能把一吨重的冰变成蒸汽

while one tonne of radium could do the work

而一吨镭所能做的功

of one-and-a-half million tonnes of coal.

要150万吨煤才能与之匹敌

The problem facing the scientists

这一新发现

was that all this seemed to go completely against

与既有的物理定律完全相悖

the established laws of physics.

这令科学家们格外困惑

Radioactivity presented a serious problem for scientists.

放射性物质 给科学家们带来了新的难题

They knew that energy cannot be created or destroyed.

根据热力学第一定律我们知道

That is the first law of thermodynamics.

能量是不能凭空产生或消失的

But they also knew that these radioactive substances

但这些放射性物质

were pouring out huge amounts of energy.

却在源源不断地放出巨大的能量

So where was it coming from?

这些能量又是从何而来呢

Across the world scientists had been

全球的科学家

studying radioactivity intensely.

都在加紧研究放射现象

People noticed something peculiar -

有人发现 放射性元素有个奇怪的特点

that as radioactive substances emit energy, they transform.

它们释放能量的同时 自身也在发生变化

They turn into something else.

转变成其他物质

Radium, for example, becomes lead.

比如镭 就会变成铅

And as they transform, they become lighter.

在这一转变中 物质自身会变轻

In other words, as they emit energy,

也就是说 它们释放能量的同时

they also lose mass.

质量也在减少

The link between energy and mass was eventually explained

最终 阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦著名的公式

by Albert Einstein's famous equation.

揭示了能量与质量间的关系

Energy equals mass times the square of the speed of light.

能量等于质量乘以光速的二次方

The energy from the radium

镭所释放的能量

wasn't coming from some magical source,

并非来自什么神奇的力量

but from the mass itself.

而是它自身的质量

People had previously realised that

此前我们意识到

you could describe heat and movement in terms of energy.

热量和运动 可以用能量来表述

Now it seemed you could also describe mass in the same way.

而现在 质量也可以由能量来表述

Energy which hadn't even existed as a concept

能量这一概念从无到有

was now being used to explain the very nature of matter itself.

而现在我们用这一概念解释物质的本源

In fact there wasn't much

事实上 世间万物

that could not be explained in terms of energy.

几乎都能用能量来表述

Not just steam engines...

不止是蒸汽机

and windmills,

还有风车

but living things.

甚至包括生命

Stars, even galaxies were all governed by the laws of energy.

恒星甚至星系 都要遵循能量定律

In its quest to understand what power is,

我们踏上科学探索的旅程

science had uncovered secrets

试图定义和理解能量

which lay at the very heart of the universe.

却在途中发现了万物最核心的奥秘

The theory encapsulated in E equals MC squared

E=MC2中蕴含的物理理论

would eventually lead to

最终帮助科学家们

the release of nuclear energy and the atomic bomb.

释放了原子中的核能并造出了原子弹

But the consequences of that belong to a different story.

至于原子弹造成的影响 就是另一个故事了

Instead, to complete the story of power,

而要讲完能量的故事

I want to go back to the 19th century.

我们要转而回溯到十九世纪

Back then theories of energy

在当时 能量理论

might have been lighting up men's minds,

可能令大众眼前一亮

but they weren't lighting up homes.

但却没有照亮千家万户

Not yet, at any rate.

至少当时还没有

Most people's domestic lives were largely unaffected

热力学或电磁学领域的新进展

by developments in thermodynamics or electromagnetism.

对大多数人的居家生活毫无影响

Outside there were telegraphs and steam trains,

外面的世界有着电报和蒸汽机车

but at home, gas lamps, candles

但百姓家中仍旧点着煤气灯和蜡烛

and open fires.

烧着炉火

What changed our personal relationship with power

直到人们发现 电能生磁

was the discovery that the link

磁也能生电

between electricity and magnetism worked both ways.

我们才真正受益于这种新能源

Oersted had shown that

奥斯特已经证明了

an electric current could act just like a magnet.

电流可以产生磁场

British scientist Michael Faraday

英国科学家迈克尔·法拉第

was the first to demonstrate the opposite,

首次证明了 磁也能生电

that moving a magnet can produce an electric current.

移动磁铁也能产生电流

He used the idea that switching on an electric current

给一段导线通电 能移动一小片磁性金属

could make a magnetised piece of metal move

法拉第运用这一原理

to build the world's first electric motor.

制造了世上首个电机

But he also demonstrated the reverse is true.

但他也证明了 这一现象反之亦然

Take a magnet, push it through some copper wire

拿一块磁铁 让它通过铜线圈

and you produce electricity.

就能发电了

Beautiful, isn't it?

太神奇了

It's called electromagnetic induction

这一现象叫做电磁感应

and it was the key to the electric age.

而这一发现是电气时代的基石

If one could keep the magnet moving fast enough,

如果能令磁铁保持高速运动

one could produce an electric current that was continuous.

就能产生连续的电流

What was needed was something to keep the magnet moving.

我们只需找到维持磁铁运动的动力

Something like this.

比如水力

Niagara Falls, one of the most powerful waterfalls in the world.

尼亚加拉大瀑布 世界上最雄伟的瀑布之一

This is about as close as I can get to the Falls

我离瀑布最近只能走到这里

and it really is magnificent.

真是太宏伟了

There's about a 150 million litres of water

每分钟有大约150万升的水

coming over the Falls every single minute.

飞流直下

And you can really feel the power.

你能真切地感觉到水流的巨大力量

The challenge lay in finding

现在的挑战

a way of converting this mass of energy

就是如何能把这巨大的能量

into an altogether more useful form

转化为我们可利用的形式

electricity.

电能

Until very recently, I couldn't have stood here

就在前不久 我现在站的地方

because there would have been millions of litres of water

还有数百万升的水倾泻而下

just pouring down here, sweeping everything away.

横扫一切

Up that way, about a kilometre or so,

在上方 1000多米外

is the power station.

有一家发电站

The project began deep under ground.

工程建设深达地下

Tunnels were dug into solid rock by hand

人们手工在岩石中挖凿出多条隧道

to divert some of the water to an electrical generator.

把一部分水分流并引向发电机

Those taking part sensed the dawn of a new age.

参与工程的人可以感受到新的时代即将到来

When it was first built,

发电站刚建成时

it was described as a feat to rival the pyramids,

人们称赞这一伟绩堪比埃及的金字塔

the temples of the Greeks,

希腊的神庙

the great cathedrals of Europe,

和欧洲的大教堂

a monument to the scientific age.

是科学时代的纪念碑

And personally I think they were right.

在我看来 这些硕大的涡轮发电机

Because these giant turbines really are the ultimate expression

完美的体现了能量的含义和潜力

both of what power is and what power does.

称之为历史伟绩 名副其实

Huge magnets turned by the power of falling water,

奔腾而下的水流推动着巨型磁铁

creating enough electricity

产生的电力

to power three quarters of a million light bulbs.

足以点亮75万盏灯

But for electricity to become a true commodity,

但要我们买卖电力

something that could be bought and sold,

让电力成为实在的商品

there was one final barrier to overcome -

还需攻克最后一道难关

how to get electricity from here in Niagara

怎样把电力从尼亚加拉的发电站

to the places you'd actually want to sell it.

输送到需要供电的地方

Cities like Buffalo, 24 miles away,

比如39千米外的水牛城

or power-hungry New York, 400 miles away.

或是640多公里外的耗电大户纽约

The problem was the power loss

电流在电缆中传输

as the current travelled along the cable.

会产生功率损耗

If you happened to live near a generating plant like this one,

如果你恰好住在发电站附近

then you were fine.

输电损耗还不算大

But the further away you moved, the less power you got.

但距离越远 输电损耗就越大

After just a mile,

1.6公里后

you would begin to notice the difference.

输电损耗就会对供电造成严重影响

After two miles,

3.2公里后

hardly any current would be getting through at all.

电力就几乎全部损耗在输送途中了

But here at Niagara, this problem was overcome.

但在尼亚加拉的发电站 我们解决了这一难题

Its generators produced what's known as alternating current -

这些发电机产生的是交流电

high voltage, low power loss...

电压高 功率损耗低

Which meant that electricity could finally travel.

意味着我们终于可以输送电能了

When, in 1896, this new form of current was switched on,

1896年 发电站第一次送出了电流

it took less than a second

它在一秒钟内

to reach Buffalo, over 20 miles away.

就到达了三十多千米外的水牛城

In that instant was born the electric age.

点亮电灯的瞬间 人类迎来了电气时代

The discovery of what power can do for us

当人类发现了能量的用途

has transformed our lives

我们的生活经历了翻天覆地的变化

and set us on a relentless search for new sources of energy.

我们也随即开始寻找新的能源

From deep within the Earth to inside the smallest atom,

从地球深处到原子内部

to the sun itself,

再到太阳

a hunger for more power knows few bounds.

我们对能量的渴求永无止境

Small wonder that our planet alone

地球成为太阳系中唯一一个

in the solar system glows in the dark.

在黑暗中发光的星球 也就不足为奇了

But the quest to find out what power is

探索能量是什么的过程

has had an equally profound effect.

和答案有着同样深远的影响

Using the language of mathematics,

运用数学方法

we have shown energy to be a basic property of the universe.

我们证明了能量也是宇宙的基本属性之一

And it's the coming together of

在探寻过程中

the practical and theoretical approaches to power

理论与实践终于得以结合

which underpins the modern world.

共同撑起了现代社会

For a long time, the search for power was led by practical men.

对新能源的探索 很长时间都由实践派主导

And then the theorists caught up.

然后理论家参与了进来

And to the plaintive cry,

对于那渴望的呼喊

Can we have limitless power?

能否找到取之不尽的能源

replied a resounding "No."

回答永远是响亮的"不"

But that search also led to the uncovering

但找寻新能源的过程让我们

of the fundamental laws of nature

找到了自然界最基本的法则

which now tell us how everything in the universe operates.

明白了世间万物的运行规律

Next time, the great puzzle of existence...

下一集 万物生灵的最大谜题