If superpowers were real: Super speed - Joy Lin

如果超能力是真的: 超級速度 - Joy Lin

譯者: Shelly Wang 審譯者: Chun-Ting Li

Some superheros can move faster than the wind.

有些超級英雄能移動得比風速還快

The men in Apollo 10 reached

1969年阿波羅十號

a record-breaking speed

重返地球表面時

of around 25,000 miles per hour

在太空梭裡的人即達到

when the shuttle re-entered

每小時約兩萬五千哩

the Earth's atmosphere in 1969.

破紀錄的移動速度

Wouldn't we save a lot of time

假如我們能移動得這麼快

to be able to move that fast?

不是省下了很多時間嗎？

But what's the catch?

但這有何內幕呢？

Air is not empty.

空氣並非無雜質

Elements like oxygen and nitrogen,

像是氧及氮元素

even countless dust particles,

甚至數不盡的塵埃微粒

make up the air around us.

組成了環繞四周的空氣

When we move past these things in the air,

當我們移動時，會和空氣中這三樣物質

we're rubbing against them

擦身而過

and creating a lot of friction,

進而製造許多摩擦力

which results in heat.

來產生熱能

Just like rubbing your hands together warms them up

就像是摩擦雙手取暖

or rubbing two sticks together makes fire,

或者摩擦兩根棍子取火

the faster objects rub together,

其摩擦的速度越快

the more heat is generated.

就能產生越多熱能

So, if we're running at 25,000 miles per hour,

所以如果我們每小時跑到兩萬五千哩

the heat from friction would burn our faces off.

因摩擦力而產生的熱能會把我們的臉燒掉

Even if we somehow withstood the heat,

即使人體能夠承受熱

the sand and dirt in the air

空氣中的沙粒及塵土

would still scrape us up

仍會同時以

with millions of tiny cuts

數百萬的微小切割

all happening at the same time.

來刮傷我們的肌膚

Ever seen the front bumper or grill of a truck?

曾看過前保險桿或燒烤的卡車嗎？

What do you think all the birds and bugs would do

你覺得所有小鳥以及蟲子會如何對付

你那睜開的雙眼及曝露在外的皮膚呢？

to your open eyes or exposed skin?

Okay, so you'll wear a mask

好吧！你會因此戴上防護面具

to avoid destroying your face.

來避免臉部遭受損害

But what about people in buildings

但在你和目的地間

between you and your destination?

大樓裡的人們又會如何呢？

It takes us approximately one-fifth of a second

我們大約花五分之一秒的時間去對

to react to what we see.

自己看到的事物反應

By the time we see what is ahead of us

在我們看見眼前事物的當下

and react to it -

就得做出反應

time times velocity equals distance

時間乘以速率等於距離

equals one-fifth of a second

等於五分之一秒

times 25,000 miles per hour

乘以時速兩萬五千哩

equals 1.4 miles

等於一點四哩

- we would have gone past it

我們會在超過一英哩處

or through it by over a mile.

即遭逢此劫

We're either going to kill ourselves

若不是以超高速度

by crashing into the nearest wall at super speed

來撞進距離最近的牆而殺了自己

or, worse, if we're indestructible,

或者，更糟的是，如果沒死

we've essentially turned our bodies into missiles

我們會把自己的身體變成導彈

that destroy everything in our path.

摧毀行經道路的一切事物

So, long distance travel at 25,000 miles per hour

因此，以時速兩萬五千哩長途旅行

would leave us burning up,

會把自己燒成灰燼

covered in bugs,

會被各種蟲子衝撞

and leaves no time to react.

而且還沒時間反應

What about short bursts

那麼短距離衝刺

to a location we can see

到一個放眼所及

with no obstacles in between?

沒有障礙物的地方又如何呢？

Okay, let's say a bullet

這麼說好了！

is about to hit a beautiful damsel in distress.

一顆子彈快要打到一位漂亮、需要幫助的女子

So, our hero swoops in at super speed,

而我們的英雄以超高速俯衝

grabs her,

去抓住她

and carries her to safety.

把她帶到安全的地方

That sounds very romantic,

聽起來很浪漫

but, in reality, that girl will probably suffer

但事實上，這女孩可能會因英雄

more damage from the hero than the bullet

的快速移動而遭受比起子彈

if he moved her at super speed.

更大的損傷

Newton's First Law of Motion deals with inertia,

牛頓第一運動定律，慣性定律

which is the resistance to a change

是對運動狀態變化

in its state of motion.

的抵抗

So, an object will continue moving

除非被外力改變

or staying at the same place

否則物體會持續移動

unless something changes it.

或待在相同地方

Acceleration is the rate the velocity changes over time.

加速是速率隨著時間的改變

When the girl at rest,

當這女孩休息時

velocity equals zero miles per hour,

時速靜止不動

begins accelerating to reach the speed within seconds,

在數秒內開始加速到達一定速度

velocity increases rapidly

速率快速增加

to 25,000 miles per hour,

到每小時兩萬五千哩

her brain would crash into the side of her skull.

她的大腦會被擠壓到頭骨邊緣

And, when she stops suddenly,

而當她突然停下來

velocity decreases rapidly back to zero miles per hour,

速率快速回歸於零

her brain would crash into the other side of her skull,

她的大腦會被擠壓到另一邊頭骨邊緣

turning her brain into mush.

把大腦變成糊狀

The brain is too fragile to handle the sudden movement.

大腦太脆弱，以致無法承受快速運動

So is every part of her body, for that matter.

同樣的，身體任何部位也是如此。

Remember, it's not the speed that causes the damage

記住，那並不是速度所造成的損害

because the astronauts survived Apollo 10,

因為阿波羅十號裡的太空人是活著的

it's the acceleration

是加速

or sudden stop

或突然靜止

that causes our internal organs

造成我們內部器官

to crash into the front of our bodies

擠壓到身體前端

就像公車司機猛踩煞車時

the way we move forward in a bus

when the driver slams on the brakes.

我們的身體會往前推移

What the hero did to the girl

這英雄帶著女孩

is mathematically the same as running her over

的快速移動，在數學上相當於搭乘太空梭

with a space shuttle at maximum speed.

到達極大速度

She probably died instantly at the point of impact.

她很可能會在碰撞時當場死亡

He's going to owe this poor girl's family an apology

英雄將欠下這可憐女孩的家人一個道歉

and a big fat compensation check.

以及龐大的賠償費用

Oh, and possibly face jail time.

可能還得面對牢獄之災

Doctors have to carry liability insurance

醫生們必須肩負起責任保險

just in case they make a mistake and hurt their patients.

以防萬一誤診而傷了病患

我想知道超級英雄的保單費用會有多高

I wonder how much superhero insurance policy would cost.

Now, which superpower physics lesson

那麼，你下一個想要探索的

will you explore next?

超能力物理課是甚麼呢？

Shifting body size and content,

調整身體大小及內容

super speed,

超高速

flight,

飛行

super strength,

超力量

immortality,

長生不死

and

和

invisibility.

隱形