Most people enjoy the simple pleasure of creating bubbles using soap and water or a handy bubble gun, but have you ever wondered why these bubbles come out in such a uniform, spherical form? The answer delves into the fascinating realm of physics and the special behaviors of liquids.
Soap bubbles are formed when air molecules become trapped inside a thin layer of soapy water, giving them a shimmering appearance. As a liquid, the soapy film takes up the smallest possible surface area—water molecules naturally do this to achieve the most stable state. And guess what shape has the least surface area for a given volume? A sphere! When the water molecules in the film stick together trying to minimize the surface area, a round shape is formed.
大多數人都享受著用肥皂和水或方便的泡泡槍製造泡泡的簡單樂趣,但你是否曾想過為什麼這些泡泡會呈現出如此一致的球狀呢?這個答案探究了物理學的迷人領域和液體的特殊行為。
Photos: AdobeStock I 照片:AdobeStock
當空氣分子被困在薄薄的肥皂水層中,就形成了肥皂泡,使它們呈現出閃爍的外觀。作為液體,這層肥皂薄膜會盡可能地占據最小的表面積 ―― 水分子自然就會這樣做以達到最穩定的狀態。猜猜在給定體積下,什麼形狀的表面積最小?是球形!當薄膜中的水分子聚集在一起試圖最小化表面積時,就形成了圓形。
Words in use
1. handy a. 便利的,便於使用的
Photos: AdobeStock I 照片:AdobeStock
The flashlight on your key chain is quite handy.
你鑰匙圈上的手電筒還挺方便好用的。
2. spherical a. 球形∕體的
Photos: AdobeStock I 照片:AdobeStock
sphere n. 球體
Some bacteria are spherical in shape.
有些細菌呈球狀。
The crystal ball is a perfect sphere.
這顆水晶球是完美的球體。
3. realm n. (知識、興趣的)範圍
Henry is an expert in the realm of gardening.
在園藝的領域中,亨利是個專家。
Practical Phrases
1. delve into... 探索∕探究……
delve vi. 探索,探究
Psychologists delved into the man’s past to consider why he became a murderer.
心理學家探究那個人的過去,來探討他為何成了一名凶手。
2. take up... 占去……(空間、時間)
This couch takes up far too much space in the living room.
這張沙發占去客廳太多空間了。
3. hinge on... 依……而定
hinge vi. 取決於
The outcome hinges on your input.
結果如何要依你投注的心力而定。
To be continued tomorrow(明日待續)
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang
聽文章朗讀及講解: https://ivy.pse.is/455bfu
本文出自常春藤解析英語雜誌: www.ivy.com.tw
A: As reality TV show “Culinary Class Wars” causes a sensation, it may be more difficult to make a reservation at the show’s judge Paik Jong-won’s Taipei restaurant, Bornga Korean BBQ. B: The other judge, Anh Sung-jae, also served as a guest chef at Regent Taipei last June. A: Korean food has become a new trend in Taiwan lately, and restaurants such as Samwon Garden are quite popular. B: But that restaurant is so pricey. A: Then try the more affordable places, like my favorite, OKAY Korean BBQ, or others such as Annyeong Korean BBQ and OvenMaru Chicken. A:
Colorado has taken a pioneering move towards protecting consumer privacy in the age of brain-computer interfaces. With the rise of neurotechnology, which involves technology that monitors and interacts with the brain, data privacy concerns are coming to a head. In response to growing anxieties, Colorado has become the first state in the US to pass an amendment that safeguards the privacy of human brainwaves. On April 17, Colorado announced an update to its Privacy Act, which went into effect on August 6. The new Colorado Privacy Act classifies brainwaves as “sensitive personal information,” offering them the same protections that
The Australian government will legislate for a ban on social media for children under 16, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday last week, in what it calls a world-leading package of measures that could become law late next year. Australia is trialing an age-verification system to assist in blocking children from accessing social media platforms, as part of a range of measures that include some of the toughest controls imposed by any country to date. Albanese cited the risks to physical and mental health of children from excessive social media use, in particular the risks to girls from harmful depictions of
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang Neurotechnology used to be limited to scientific labs and hospital settings. However, many new devices that can record consumers’ brainwaves or analyze the brain in other ways have been launched in recent years. Often marketed outside the realm of medical equipment, these devices evade the existing safety and privacy standards for healthcare devices. Experts are raising concerns about this lack of oversight, fearing the potential for these tools to become mind-reading devices without users’ consent or knowledge. Other US states are considering similar regulations to protect their citizens in regard to neuro data gathered by technology companies. Colorado’s