How the compass unlocked the world | Small Thing Big Idea, a TED series

Transcriber: TED Translators admin Reviewer: Camille Martínez

翻译人员: Wanting Zhong 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

Growing up in Missouri,

我在密苏里州长大，

they would kind of take us out into the woods,

大人会把我们带到树林里，

and they would give you a map, and they would give you a compass,

然后他们会给你一张地图， 他们会给你一个指南针，

and you had to find your way home.

然后你必须找到回家的路。

And without the compass,

没有指南针的话，

you can't even read the map.

你甚至连地图都看不明白。

That's what I'm here to tell you.

这就是我今天想告诉你的事。

The compass is the key.

指南针是重要的钥匙。

[Small thing.]

【小事物】

[Big idea.]

【大智慧】

A compass is most simply a piece of metal that has been magnetized,

最简单的指南针 是一块被磁化的金属，

so that it will turn towards the Earth's magnetic pole.

因而会指向地球的南北磁极。

The one that we all think of is the pocket compass.

我们脑海中都会浮现的 是口袋指南针。

It looks like a watch, right?

它看上去像一块手表，对吧？

You can hold it in your hand

你可以把它拿在手里，

and watch the little needle bounce around

看上面的小指针兜兜转转，

until you find north.

直到你找到北极。

Magnetism is still a pretty mysterious force to physicists,

对于物理学家来说， 磁力仍是一种颇为神秘的力，

but what we do know for sure is that a compass works

但我们明确知道的是， 指南针之所以能指示方向

because the Earth is this giant magnet.

是因为地球是一块巨大的磁铁。

And when you use a compass,

而当你使用指南针时，

you are in touch with the very center of our planet,

你接触到了我们星球的核心，

where this kind of roiling ball of molten iron

这个翻腾着的熔融铁球

is spinning around and creating a magnetic field.

正在旋转着制造出磁场。

Just like a magnet you can play with on your tabletop,

就像你能在桌面上 摆弄的磁铁一样。

it has a north pole and a south pole,

它有一个北极，一个南极，

and we use compasses to find our way north because of that fact.

因此，我们能用指南针判断方向。

The earliest known compass comes from about 200 BC in China.

我们所知的最早的磁铁 来自公元前约 200 年的中国。

They figured out that some of the metal coming out of the ground

他们发现地里的某些矿石

was naturally magnetic,

具有天然磁性。

and so they fashioned this magnetized metal

于是，他们将这磁化金属

into this kind of ladle-looking thing,

琢成了勺子形状，

put it on a brass plate

放在铜盘上，

and then it would point north.

它就会指向北方。

It seems to have been primarily used to improve feng shui,

它似乎主要用来改善风水，

so they could figure out what was the best way for energy to flow

以便他们找到住宅里

能量流动的最佳方向。

through their living spaces.

Sailors were probably the early adopters

水手或许是早期使用

of the more portable versions of it,

更便携的指南针的人，

because no matter where the sun was,

因为无论太阳在哪里，

no matter what the condition of the stars were,

无论星星状况如何，

they would always be able to find north.

他们总能找到北方。

Now, much later, the Europeans are the ones who innovate

很久之后，欧洲人创造

发明了罗针图。

and come up with the compass rose.

It essentially laid out

它本质上指示出了

what north, south, east and west looked like,

北、南、东、西的方向，

and it also enabled you to kind of create new directions,

同时，也能让你创造出新的方向，

like northwest, southeast, what have you.

比如西北、东南之类的。

And for the first time, they knew where they were going.

他们第一次知悉了前进的方向。

That's kind of a big deal.

这挺重要的。

But also, I think it was part of this general reinvigoration

但我也觉得，它是这次 欧洲科学的普遍振兴

of European science.

的一部分。

You might know it as the Renaissance.

你或许知道它叫做 “文艺复兴” 。

Lots of new tools were invented,

很多新工具在这时发明出来，

from the telescope to the microscope.

从望远镜到显微镜。

Maps got better because of compasses, right?

多亏指南针， 地图也变好了，对吧？

Because then you start to understand which direction is which,

因为这样你能开始理解 地图上的方向，

you get a lot more detail,

能获得更多细节，

and that just kind of changes

这可以说改变了

the human relationship to the world.

人类与世界的关系。

The compass with a map is like a superpower.

指南针配上地图 就像超能力一样。

Everything that we think of as world history

如果没有指南针，那么 我们所知的全部世界历史

would not have taken place without the compass:

就都不会发生：

the age of exploration, Magellan circumnavigating the globe,

大航海时代，麦哲伦环球航行，

even the fact that we know it is a globe.

甚至发现地球是球形的这事实。

The compass ends up getting embedded in all these other tools,

指南针最后被嵌入了 各种其它工具中，

because it is such a functional object.

因为它的功能如此重要。

So you might have it embedded in your multi-tool,

你的多功能工具里可能有它，

you might have it embedded in your phone.

你的手机里可能有它。

The compass is everywhere,

指南针无处不在，

because it's literally how we find our way across the face of the Earth.

因为它根本就是我们 在地球表面寻找方向的方式。

So you can go off and explore,

所以你可以尽情远行探索，

and find out what is over that next hill or that next horizon,

去看看那座山的尽头、 那条地平线的彼岸有什么，

but you can also reliably find your way home.

但你也一定可以 踏实地找到回家的路。