万物简史 第210期:威力巨大的原子(24)

 　　To explain what kept atoms together, other forces were needed, and in the 1930s two were discovered: the strong nuclear force and weak nuclear force. The strong force binds¹ atoms together; its what allows protons to bed down together in the nucleus². The weak force engages in more miscellaneous tasks, mostly to do with controlling the rates of certain sorts of radioactive decay.

　　为了解释是什么把原子拢在一起，你就需要有别的力。20世纪30年代发现了两种：强核力和弱核力。强核力把原子捆在一起，是它将质子拢在原子核里；弱核力从事各种工作，主要与控制某种放射衰变的速率有关。

　　原子团簇

　　The weak nuclear force, despite its name, is ten billion billion billion times stronger than gravity, and the strong nuclear force is more powerful still—vastly so, in fact—but their influence extends to only the tiniest distances. The grip of the strong force reaches out only to about 1/100,000 of the diameter of an atom. Thats why the nuclei³ of atoms are so compacted and dense⁴ and why elements with big, crowded nuclei tend to be so unstable⁵: the strong force just cant⁶ hold on to all the protons.

　　弱核力尽管叫做弱核力，它比万有引力要强1亿亿倍；强核力比这还要强──实际上要强得多──但它的影响只传到极小的距离。强核力的影响只能传到原子直径的大约十万分之一的地方。这就是原子核的体积如此之小、密度如此之大的原因，也是原子核又大又多的元素往往很不稳定的原因：强核力无法抓住所有的质子。

　　The upshot of all this is that physics ended up with two bodies of laws—one for the world of the very small, one for the universe at large—leading quite separate lives.

　　结果，物理学最后有了两套规律──一套用来解释小世界，一套用来解释大宇宙──各过各的日子。

1 binds   

v.约束( bind的第三人称单数 )；装订；捆绑；（用长布条）缠绕

参考例句：

• Frost binds the soil. 霜使土壤凝结。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Stones and cement binds strongly. 石头和水泥凝固得很牢。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 nucleus   

n.核，核心，原子核

参考例句：

• These young people formed the nucleus of the club.这些年轻人成了俱乐部的核心。
• These councils would form the nucleus of a future regime.这些委员会将成为一个未来政权的核心。

3 nuclei   

n.核

参考例句：

• To free electrons, something has to make them whirl fast enough to break away from their nuclei. 为了释放电子，必须使电子高速旋转而足以摆脱原子核的束缚。
• Energy is released by the fission of atomic nuclei. 能量是由原子核分裂释放出来的。

4 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

5 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

6 cant   

n.斜穿，黑话，猛扔

参考例句：

• The ship took on a dangerous cant to port.船只出现向左舷危险倾斜。
• He knows thieves'cant.他懂盗贼的黑话。