The physics of surfing - Nick Pizzo

翻译人员: Aimee Zhou 校对人员: shuping Lai

Whether or not you realize it,

不管你是否意识到，

as a surfer you’re a master of complicated physics.

身为冲浪者，你实际是 一位精通复杂物理学的大师。

The science of surfing begins

冲浪的科学始于

as soon as you and your board first hit the water.

你和冲浪板触碰到水的一瞬间。

The board’s size and light construction help it displace a lot of water.

冲浪板的面积和较轻的材质 能够使大量的水产生位移。

In turn, a buoyant force

产生一股向上推起的浮力，

equal to the weight of the displaced water pushes up,

与发生位移的水重量均等，

counteracting you and your board’s weight.

可以抵消掉你与冲浪板的重量。

This lets you stay afloat while you wait to paddle for a wave.

这使你在等待海浪的时候能够一直浮于海面。

And what exactly are you waiting for?

那么你等待的究竟是什么呢？

The perfect wave, of course.

当然是完美的海浪。

Like other waves in physics, ocean waves represent a transfer of energy.

与物理学中其他的波浪一样， 海洋的波浪代表能量的转移。

Wind blowing across the ocean accelerates water particles near the surface,

海风加速了水表的移动，

leading to the growth of ripples that become waves.

产生波纹，最终形成海浪。

These deviations from the flat surface are acted upon by gravity,

不再平静的海面会受到重力作用，

which tries to restore the surface to its original flat state.

重力试图让海面恢复到原本的水平状态。

As the waves then move through the water,

当海浪在不断移动，

particles push and pull on their neighbors through the wave induced pressure,

水粒子互相挤压引起海浪内部的压力，

and this motion propagates energy through the water in unison with the wave motion.

而这种运动通过水与波浪的同步运动传递能量。

The motion of these particles

水粒子的运动，

is much more limited than the overall motion of the waves.

相比波浪的整体运动是很受限的。

Near the shore,

靠近岸边，

the shallower seafloor constrains the motion of the waves

相较于广阔的大海，

to occur in a more limited region than out at sea,

浅海区域海浪的运动在一定范围内受限，

concentrating the wave energy near the surface.

将波浪的能量集中在表面。

If the topography of the shoreline is even and smooth,

如果海岸线的地形平整光滑，

this will refract the waves to become more

海浪会发生折射，

parallel to the shore as they approach.

在靠近海岸时与海岸线更平行。

This is the crucial moment.

关键的时刻来了。 当海浪逐渐靠近，

As the wave gets near,

you quickly pivot your board in the same direction as the wave

你朝着与海浪相同的方向调转冲浪板，

and paddle to match its speed.

尽力划动，赶上海浪的速度。

Your board forms an angle with the water,

你的冲浪板与水形成一个角度，

and this creates a dynamic pressure on the bottom of it,

在底部产生压力，

forcing you and your board out of the water,

使得你和冲浪板离开水面，

to skim along the surface.

在表面飞快行进。

At the same time,

同时，

your increased forward momentum makes you more stable,

不断增强的前进动力使你更稳定，

allowing you to stand up and surf along the wave.

让你能够站起，随波逐浪滑行。

Now you’ve caught the wave,

现在你已追到了浪，

and are riding along its front face parallel to the shoreline.

开始沿着与海岸线平行的方向前行。

Fins on the surfboard allow you to alter your speed and direction

冲浪板的舵通过重置你的着力点，

by repositioning your weight.

让你可以改变速度和方向。

Above you is the wave’s crest,

在你的上方，是波峰，

where the water particles are undergoing their greatest acceleration.

波峰处的水粒子在以它们最大速度运动，

That forces them to move faster than the underlying wave,

迫使它们比下方的海浪移动得更快，

so they shoot ahead before falling under gravity’s influence.

在受到重力影响掉落之前，它们飞速向前。

This forms the waves’ characteristic curls, or jets,

这形成了海浪的特征，卷浪，或称喷浪，

as they break along the shore.

因为它们会沿着海岸溃散。

Sometimes, the curl might completely enclose part of the wave,

有时，这种卷浪会完全围住一些海浪，

forming a moving tube of water known as the barrel.

使水形成运动中的管道，形状像桶一样，

Because of irregularities in the seafloor and the swell itself,

由于海底的不规则构造和高低起伏，

few barrels last as long as the legendary 27-second ride off the coast of Namibia.

几乎没有比纳米比亚海岸 那次传奇的27秒更持久的卷浪。

But many who manage to get barreled

但有不少驾驭过卷浪的人，

have said they feel time passing differently inside,

他们描述到，身处于浪之中， 感觉时间流逝的速度都发生了变化，

making it one of the most magical experiences a surfer can have.

这是冲浪者专属的最神奇的体验之一。

Of course,

当然，

not all beaches are created equal.

海滩不尽相同。

Offshore underwater canyons or rock formations

一些地方的沿岸海底的岩石和峡谷地形构造，

in certain locations like Nazare, Portugal or Mavericks, California

比如葡萄牙的纳扎尔、加利福尼亚州的半月湾，

refract the incoming wave energy into a single spot,

能够将海浪的能量折射到一个单点上，

creating massive waves sought by surfers worldwide.

造就全世界冲浪者心向往之的巨大海浪。

And some of these waves travel for more than a week,

有些海浪的旅程长达一星期，

with swells originating more than 10,000 kilometers away from shore.

到达一万公里以外的地方。

Waves surfed in sunny California

在加州的阳光海岸冲的浪，

may have originated in the stormy seas near New Zealand.

可能来自于新西兰海域的汹涌波涛。

So while you may not be thinking about weather patterns in the South Pacific,

你可能根本不会关心南太平洋的天气状况、

tectonic geology, or fluid mechanics,

构造地质学或流体力学，

the art of catching the perfect wave relies on all these things and more.

但完美的冲浪艺术 确实依赖于这些及其他的因素。

And the waves we surf, created by wind,

风造就了使我们冲浪的海浪，

are just one visible part of the continuous oscillation of energy

仅仅是能量的其中一个可见部分而已，

that has shaped our universe since its very beginning.

能量振动持续塑造着我们的宇宙，从开始到现在。