If superpowers were real: Super strength - Joy Lin

如果超能力是真的：超強力量 - Joy Lin

譯者: Sheng-Feng Huang 審譯者: Marssi Draw

If you wake up one morning

如果你有天早上醒來

with 1,000 times the strength you had the night before,

發現力氣比昨晚睡前大上一千倍

how will you handle delicate day-to-day tasks?

你會怎麼應付日常生活呢？

Everything must seem so fragile to you

每個東西對你來說都太脆弱了

since the scale of your strength

因為你的力氣

has expanded one thousand times.

已經變大了一千倍

You'd have to be very careful

在跟別人握手的時候

when you're shaking someone's hand

你必須非常小心

so you don't end up breaking their bones

免得弄斷了他們的骨頭

或是擁抱別人後 讓他們變得支離破碎

or crushing everyone you hug.

And using a fork to pick up a piece of broccoli

看到塑膠盤上的甘藍菜

from a Styrofoam plate

想叉一塊來吃

without driving the fork through the plate

又不想將盤子戳破

is going to be as difficult as brain surgery.

也會像開動腦手術一樣難

Say the day comes

假設有一天

and you get the chance to save a damsel in distress

有個女孩不幸掉出直升機

falling from a helicopter.

而你有機會救她

So, you hold out your arms,

於是，你用力挺起雙臂

hoping to catch her.

希望能接住她

Seconds later, you will find yourself

幾秒之後，你會發現自己

holding her lifeless body.

抱著她失去生命的身體

What happened?

發生什麼事了？

Well, pressure is force divided by area.

嗯，壓力是力除以面積

The smaller the area,

面積越小

the bigger the pressure.

壓力越大

This is why we can lift heavy objects

這解釋了為什麼我們可以舉起沉重的物品

without breaking our skin,

而不會損傷皮膚

but a tiny needle can make us bleed

但一根針只要戳一下

with just a little poke.

我們就會噴血

The pressure that will be exerted on her body

要計算她身體所承受的力量

可以將力量

can be calculated by force

divided by the area on the top of your arms

除以你手臂上方

that comes in contact with her.

和她接觸的面積

It doesn't matter if your arms are strong enough

你的手臂夠不夠強壯

to catch her body without breaking your bones.

能否不骨折就接住她並不重要

Her spine is not strong enough

問題在於她的脊椎不夠堅強

to be caught by you without being damaged.

所以沒辦法被你接住而不受傷

Even if you rip off the nearest door

即使你把身邊的門拆下來

to provide a bigger area to catch her with,

使用更大的面積來接住她

you still wouldn't be able to save her anyway.

你還是沒辦法救她一命

Remember, it's not the fall that kills her,

記住，讓她沒命的並不是從高處跌落

but the sudden stop at the bottom.

而是在地面突然停下來

Let's say she's falling from a 32 story building,

假設她從 32 層樓高的建築跌下來

about 300 feet,

這大概 300 呎高（約 91 公尺）

and you are 6 feet tall,

然後你身高 6 呎（約 180 公分）

maybe 10 feet on your tippy-toes,

掂著腳尖高舉門板

with your arms above your head

（這大概 10 呎，約 3 公尺）

holding a door,

一心希望

in hopes of distributing the pressure

這樣能將壓力

分散到更大的面積

across a larger surface area,

but all you're doing is essentially moving

但你只是把地面

the ground up by 10 feet.

抬高了 10 呎（約 3 公尺）

So, she's now falling from 290 feet,

所以她現在從 290 呎處（約 88 公尺）

instead of 300 feet,

而非 300 呎處（約 91 公尺）落下

reaching the speed of 173 feet per second

如果不算風阻的話

just before impact,

在撞上地面前

not counting air resistance.

她的速度會是每秒 173 呎（約 52 公尺）

It's the equivalent of crashing at 94 miles per hour

這相當於以時速 94 英哩（約時速 150 公里）

into a wall with a door in front of it.

撞上正前方的門

The only thing that could save her is flying.

唯一能拯救她的是飛行能力

But that power comes with its own host of scientific issues.

但這項能力也有一堆科學問題

If you could fly,

如果你真的能飛

what you must do is fly up to her,

你必須先飛到她上方

start flying down at the speed she is falling,

然後以她墜落的速度向下飛

hold on to her,

抱住她

then gradually slow down

接著慢慢減速

until you come to a complete stop.

直到你倆完全停下來

This process requires a lot of cushion space

在這段過程中，從她跌落的地方到地面之間

between the point she starts falling and the ground.

必須有很大的緩衝空間

Every second you waste

在你換穿英雄裝

on changing into your superhero costume

以及飛到她所在高度

and flying up to her height,

所經過的每一秒裡

her head is getting that much closer to the pavement!

她的頭都不斷地朝人行道逼近！

If she's falling from a high place,

如果她是從高處墜落

and you can't get to her

而在她離地只剩數呎前

until she's only a few feet above the ground,

你還接不到她的話

there's really nothing you can do

你真的是無能為力

other than magically turn the pavement

除非你能神奇地將人行道

into marshmellow

變成棉花糖

to allow her enough time to slowly come to a stop.

讓她有足夠的時間慢慢停下來

Then, break out the chocolate and graham crackers

然後，加上巧克力跟全麥餅乾

and you've got s'mores.

就有巧克力棉花糖餅乾了

Mmmm, delicious!

嗯～～～好吃！

Now, which superpower physics lesson

好，接下來，你想上

will you explore next?

哪一堂超能力物理課呢？

Shifting body size and content,

改變身體的大小及組成

super speed,

超快的速度

flight,

飛天能力

super strength,

超強力量

immortality,

長生不死

and

還有

invisibility.

隱形能力