纪录片《重力错乱》第04期牛顿万有引力定律（打印版）

Newton believed that gravity is a force that acts throughout the entire universe.

牛顿认为引力是作用遍布整个宇宙的力。

In 1686, he finally managed to break it down into one single mathematical equation.

1686年，他终于设法将它分解到了一个简单的数学等式里了。

Newton's understanding of gravity is actually incredibly simple

牛顿对引力的认识实际上简单的出乎意料，

that the force between two objects depends on only two things, the mass of the objects and the distance they are apart.

两个物体之间的引力只不过依赖两个情况，物体的质量以及他们之间的距离。

So, the more massive the objects, the stronger the force,

所以，物体的质量越大，引力就越强，

and, the further the objects are apart, the weaker the force.

同样，物体之间的距离越大，引力就越小。

See, it's easy to show actually.

瞧其实看起来很简单。

Got a pen? So this is Newton's law of gravitation.

有笔吗？这就是牛顿万有引力定律。

The force is equal to the masses of the two objects, divided by the square of the distance apart of the objects.

引力等于两个物体的质量除以物体之间的距离的平方。

And then there's Newton's gravitational constant,

然后是牛顿的万有引力常数，

that just sets the scale -- it tells you the overall strength of gravity.

那只是放如一个比例，它表示综合的引力强度。

With one beautiful bit of maths, Newton had figured out gravity, but not just here on Earth.

对于一个漂亮的数学公式，牛顿已经解决了引力，不光是地球上的引力。

The Moon seemed to orbit the Earth exactly as he predicted, as did the planets orbiting around the sun.

月球似乎确实如他预言的那样围绕地球运转，行星围绕着太阳运转同样如此。

Newton believed we live in a universe in which ultimately the movement of everything can be predicted.

牛顿认为，我们生活的宇宙中的一切物体的运动都能够得到预测。

Newton's universal law of gravitation is one of the most important turning points in physics,

牛顿的万有引力普遍规律是物理学里一个最重要的转折点，

and that's because it really is universal.

那是因为它确实很普遍。

It allows you to predict not only how things move under the influence of gravity here on Earth

它使你不仅能预测在地球这里的引力影响下的物体如何运动，

but how the stars and planets and even galaxies move, all the way across the universe.

同时还能预测恒星、行星、生殖星系的运动，一直到囊括整个宇宙。