《那些古怪又讓人憂心的問題》第140期:中子子彈(4)
Set the bullet on a sturdy pedestAl
First, we'd need a magical infinitely strong pedestal to put the bullet on, which would need to sit on a similarly strong platform large enough to spread the weight out. Otherwise, the whole thing would sink into the ground.
首先，我們需要一個強度無限的魔法底座來放置子彈，這個底座底下是一個強度類似的平臺，平臺的面積大到足以分散這麼大的重量，否則整個子彈就會陷到地裏去。A base about the size of a city block would be strong enough to keep it above-ground for at least a few days, probably much more. After all, the Empire State Building-which weighs as much as our bullet-rests on a similar platform, and it's more than a few days old[citation needed] and hasn't disappeared into the ground.[citation needed]
城市街區那麼大的底座應該就能讓整個裝置保持在地面以上幾天了，也許能撐更久，畢竟和這顆子彈差不多重的帝國大廈也是建造在相似大小的平臺上的嘛，而且帝國大廈已經屹立了超過好幾天的時間，也沒見它陷到地裏去呀。
The bullet wouldn't vacuum up the atmosphere. It would definitely compress the air around it and warm it up a little, but surprisingly, not really enough to notice.
這顆子彈不會把整個大氣都吸走，但它肯定會使周圍的空氣受到一點壓縮，空氣溫度會因此上升一點，不過你幾乎不會感受到。Can I touch it?
我能摸一摸嗎？Let's imagine what would happen if you tried.
讓我們想象一下如果你真的打算去摸一下會發生什麼。The gravity from this thing is strong. But it's not that strong.
子彈產生的引力很大，但還沒大到那種程度。Imagine you're standing 10 meters away. At this distance, you feel a very slight tug in the direction of the pedestal. Your brain-not accustomed to nonuniform gravities-thinks you're standing on a gentle slope.
設想你站在10米之外。在這個距離下，你能感受到很小的指向底座的拖拽力。你的大腦並沒有適應非均勻引力的環境，因而會使你以爲自己站在一個緩坡上。Do not put on roller skates.
不要穿上輪滑鞋This perceived slope gets steeper as you walk toward the pedestal, as if the ground were tipping forward.
這個你假想出來的斜坡的傾斜程度隨着你離底座距離的減小而增大，在你看來地面就像是向下彎的。When you get within a few meters, you have a hard time not sliding forward. However, if you got a good grip on something-a handle or a signpost-you can get pretty close.
當你走到離底座只有幾米時，你就快沒法保持身體不向前滑動了。不過如果你能牢牢抓住某個東西，比如一個把手或者一根電線杆的話，你還是能夠繼續靠近的。Los Alamos physicists might call this “tickling the dragon's tail.”
洛斯阿莫斯國家實驗室的物理學家們可能會稱之爲“給龍的尾巴撓癢癢”。But I wanna touch it!
我就是想摸一下！
