爱因斯坦的生死方程式Word文件下载.docx

爱因斯坦的生死方程式Word文件下载.docx

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themostfamousscientistintheworld,

wasonholidaybythecoastoutsideNewYork.

Hewasaninstinctivepacifist

whohadfledNaziGermany,

andhehadhopedtoturnhisback

ontheviolenceinEurope,

andcontinuehisworkinpeace.

Buthissummerwasinterruptedby

avisitorwhohadalsofledtheNazis.

ThecallerwasLeoSzilard,anotherbrilliantscientist

andanoldfriendofEinstein'

sfromEurope.

Szilard.

HerrProfessor,thereissomethingwemustdo.

Comein.

LeoSzilardhadcometopersuadehisoldfriend

thattheworldwasthreatened

byanewweapon.

HisaimwastoconvinceEinstein

thatsomethinghadtobedone.

Cookie?

HerrProfessor,Ineedyourhelp.

Why?

Areyouontherunfromthepolice?

Iwishitwasthatsimple.Iwant

youtohelpmecomposealetter.

It'

salongwaytocomeforhelp

withyourcorrespondence.

Notthiscorrespondence.I'

venever

writtenaletterlikethisbefore.

I'

mnotevensurewhatIshouldsay.

Whoistheletterto?

Roosevelt.

PresidentRoosevelt.Areyouoffering

advice,oradmonition?

Awarning.IwanttowarnRoosevelt

abouttheGermanbomb.

TheGermanshavemanybombs.

Notonelikethis.Atleast,notyet.

sanatomicbomb,theGermansare

goingtobeabletobuildanatomicbomb.

Andiftheyaredoingit,thensomustwe.

ThismeetingwouldonedaycometohauntEinstein.

BecauseLeoSzilardhadcometoexplain

thattheNaziprojecthefearedsomuch

wasanapplicationofsomething

Einsteinhimselfhaddiscovered,

theequatione=mc²

E=mc²

isthesymbolofEinstein'

sgenius.

sanequationthatsumsuponeofthe

mostpowerfultruthsabouttheuniverse.

Itcombinestwoideas,which

untilEinsteincamealong,

noonehadeverdreamedcouldbe

connectedinsuchapowerfulway.

TheideaofMass.

Andtheideaofenergy.

Ifyouthinkaboutenergyandmass

itisnotatallobviousthatthey'

re

anythinglikethesamething.

Imeanenergyissomethingthatmovingobjectshave,

andmassissomethingthateveryobjectpossesses.

Soreallyit'

saboldsteptotryandlinktheminanyway,

letaloneinabeautifulwaythatEinsteindid.

Einstein'

sgreatinsightwasthatenergy,the

thingthatenablesanobjecttomove,

andmass,essentiallyanobjectsweight,

arenotdifferent,theyareinfactthesamething.

Einsteinreallyfoundthatenergyand

massaretwosidesofthesamecoin.

They'

realmostthesamething,somassin

asenseisenergywaitingtobeliberated.

Inotherwords,accordingtoEinstein,

masscouldbetransformedintoenergy.

Andenergyintomass.

ButEinstein'

sequationwentevenfurther.

Itgaveanexactvaluetotheamountof

energycontainedwithinanygivenmass.

EnergyequalsmasstimesC-

thespeedoflight,squared,

anumberthatisabsolutelyhuge.

ThisisEinstein'

sfamousequation:

e,energy

equalsm,mass,timescsquared,thespeedoflightsquared.

Inmetrespersecond:

eightyninethousand,eighthundredand

seventyfivemillionmillion,hugenumber.

Thatmeansyougetanawfullotofenergy

foranextremelytinyamountofmass.

Theimplicationsofthisneatequationwerevast.

Wellitmeansthatthere'

senough

energyinaglassofwater

topoweracitylikeLondonforaweek.

Hiddenwithineveryobjectaround

usisahugestoreofenergy.

Einsteinpublishede=mc²

in1905.

Anditchangedtheworld.

Itwasn'

tlongbeforee=mc²

solvedone

ofthegreatmysteriesoflifeonearth.

Whatreallypowersthesun?

Forgenerationsthishadbaffledscientists.

Becauseifthesunjustburnedlikeahugebonfire,

thecalculationsshoweditshouldhave

diedoutmillionsofyearsago.

sequationexplained

whatwaspoweringthesun.

Inthesun'

score,masswasconstantly

beingconvertedintoenergy.

Aprocessthatcanbesustainedforbillionsofyears.

Tinyparticlesweresmashingtogether,

andthemasslostinthisreaction

wastransformedintoenergy.

Andsoonpeoplebegantothink,

ife=mc²

canpowerthesun,

couldweuseittogeneratepoweronearth?

Couldwereleasetheenergyinside

atomsforourownpurposes?

Withinyears,talkofgettingenergyoutofthe

atombegantogripthepopularimagination.

Andatascientificconferencein1935,

Einsteinwasaskedwhetherhethought

theatomwouldeveryielditsenergy.

Hisanswerwastogodowninscientifichistory.

Thelikelihoodoftransformingmatterintoenergy

issomethingakintoshootingbirdsinthedark

inacountryinwhichthereareveryfewbirds.

Inotherwords,Einsteinbelieved

gettingenergyoutoftheatom

wasjustnotpractical.

Itwouldtakeanalmostincalculableamountofenergy

toreleaseenergyevenfromevenasinglemolecule.

Einsteinwassodismissivebecause

itwasbecomingclear

thattoreleaseallthatenergy

scientistswouldhavetofindanefficient

wayofbreakingtheatomapart.

Andhoweverhardtheytried,

italwaystookmoreenergytosmash

anatomthanwasreleased.

Kindatough,huh?

Kindoftough,yes.

Butotherswerelessdismissive.

In1933HitlercametopowerinGermany.

Germanywasoneofthegreatcentresofphysics.

Someofitsscientistswereonly

toowillingtoworkwithNazis.

AndtheNaziwarmachinewaseagerto

achievewhatEinsteinhadsaidwasimpossible,

toreleaseenergyfromthe

atom,andcreateabomb.

UnlikeEinstein,LeoSzilardfearedthat

energycouldbereleasedfromtheatom

accordingtoe=mc²

andthen

usedtoconstructabomb.

Andthatfearhadtakenhimtosee

EinsteinthatsummerinLongIsland.

ThewarinEuropeisgoingtohappen.Hitlerhas

plannedforit.Andhehasbuiltuphisarms.

Andonceherealisesitspower,hewill

nothesitatetoconstructanatomicbomb.

Butthatwouldtakeyears.

Whyyears?

Tobuildsuchabombthereaction

wouldhavetotakeplace

inmultiplemillionsofatomssimultaneously.

Maybenotsimultaneously.

Ithinkmaybethereisanother

waythatmightbeachieved.

Szilardwasspeakingwithsuchconfidence

becauseheknewsomethingEinsteindidnot.

LeoSzilardhadworkedout

howtomakee=mc²

intoabomb.

In1920,ayoungLeoSzilard

hadgonetostudyinBerlin.

TherehewitnessedtheriseoftheNazis.

Szilardbecameworriedbywhatthis

mightmeanforscienceandfortheworld.

Szilardwasreallyscaredbecausehe

hadseentheNaziterrorfirsthand.

Hewarnedhiscolleaguesandthenhe

himselfleftshortlyafterHitlertookpower.

Hewastryingtodrawasmanyfriends

ashecouldoutofNaziGermany,

hesawhowtheterrorwasspreading.

ButmanybrilliantphysicistsremainedinGermany,

andSzilardwasfearfulit

wasonlyamatteroftime

beforesomeonewouldfindaway

ofharnessingthepowerofe=mc²

andmakeabomb.

Infact,thefirststephadalready

inadvertentlybeentaken,

scientistshadidentifiedthetypeofsubstance

theymightneedtoturnmassintoenergy.

Yesradioactivityisalready

atworkinmedicalfields...

Radioactiveiodine.

soifyouwilllistenandwatchatthe

sametimewhenweheartheclicks.

Radioactivityise=mc²

inaction.

UnstableelementslikeRadiumand

Uraniumcontinuallybreakdown

intoeversmallerelementsin

ordertobecomemorestable.

Whatisactuallyhappeningisthattinyamounts

ofmassfromtheheartofanunstableatom

arespontaneouslyreleasedintheformofenergy,

whichiscarriedawayasradiation.

Butfindingtherighttypeofsubstance

toreleaseenergyaccordingtoe=mc²

wasonlyhalftheanswer.

Thisscintillatingcharacterisveryunstable,and

asaconsequencesheradiatesenergy.

Wecallherradioactive.

Naturalradioactivitywasoriginally

thoughttobepotentiallyveryuseful.

Butthemorethatwasunderstoodaboutit,

itwasrealisedthatthisparticularform

ofradioactivitywhilstproducingheat

wasnotespeciallyefficient.

Theamountofheatgivenoutwasrathersmall.

Thisisradioactiveiodine.

mnowgoingtodrinkthis.

Naturalradioactivitywassimplyfartoo

gentleforgeneratingrealpower.

Soscientistsbegantodevelopwaysofimprovinguponnature.

InGermany,inBritainandinAmerica

machineswerebuilttoachievenuclearfission,

thesplittingopenoftheatomicnucleus.

Manyhopedthismightrelease

thevastamountsofenergy

potentiallyhiddenwithintheatom.

Initiallyhopeswerehigh,butagain

andagaintheyhitEinstein'

sparadox.

Theyalwayshadtoputinfarmore

energythantheyevergotout.

inacountryinwhichthereareonlyveryfewbirds.

ItlookedasthoughEinsteinhadbeenrightafterall.

wassimplyatheoreticalinsight,

notapracticalsolutiontogenerating

vastamountsofenergy.

ButthenEinstein'

sfriend,Leo

Szilardhadhisfirstbrainwave.

Ithappeneddayin1933.

Hesuddenlyrealisedeveryonehad

beengoingaboutitthewro