萬物簡史 第64期:事物的測定(22)

In 1781 Herschel became the first person in themodern era to discover a planet. He wanted to call itGeorge, after the British monarch, but wasoverruled. Instead it became Uranus.

1781年，赫歇爾成為現(xiàn)代行星發(fā)現(xiàn)者的先驅(qū)。他曾想把自己發(fā)現(xiàn)的行星命名為英國君王的名字——喬治，但當(dāng)時(shí)那樣做是允許的。所以那顆行星被更名為天王星。

But of all that Michell accomplished, nothing wasmore ingenious or had greater impact than amachine he designed and built for measuring themass of the Earth. Unfortunately, he died before he could conduct the experiments and boththe idea and the necessary equipment were passed on to a brilliant but magnificently retiringLondon scientist named Henry Cavendish.

然而，在米歇爾的成就當(dāng)中，最精巧或最有影響的莫過于他自己設(shè)計(jì)、自己制作的一臺(tái)用于測量地球質(zhì)量的儀器。不幸的是，他生前沒能完成這項(xiàng)試驗(yàn)。這項(xiàng)試驗(yàn)以及必要的設(shè)備都傳給了一位杰出而又離群索居的倫敦科學(xué)家，他的名字叫亨利·卡文迪許。

Cavendish is a book in himself. Born into a life of sumptuous privilege—his grandfathers weredukes, respectively, of Devonshire and Kent—he was the most gifted English scientist of hisage, but also the strangest. He suffered, in the words of one of his few biographers, fromshyness to a "degree bordering on disease." Any human contact was for him a source of thedeepest discomfort.

卡文迪許本身就是一部書。他生于一個(gè)生活奢華的權(quán)貴家庭--祖父和外祖父分別是德文郡公爵和肯特公爵--是那個(gè)年代最有才華而又極其古怪的英國科學(xué)家。幾位作家為他寫過傳記。用其中一位的話來說，他特別靦腆，"幾乎到了病態(tài)的程度"。他跟任何人接觸都會(huì)感到局促不安。

Once he opened his door to find an Austrian admirer, freshly arrived from Vienna, on the frontstep. Excitedly the Austrian began to babble out praise. For a few moments Cavendish receivedthe compliments as if they were blows from a blunt object and then, unable to take any more,fled down the path and out the gate, leaving the front door wide open. It was some hoursbefore he could be coaxed back to the property. Even his housekeeper communicated with himby letter.

有一回，他打開房門，只見前門臺(tái)階上立著一位剛從維也納來的奧地利仰慕者。那奧地利人非常激動(dòng)，對他贊不絕口。一時(shí)之間，卡文迪許聽著那個(gè)贊揚(yáng)，仿佛挨了一記悶棍;接著，他再也無法忍受，順著小路飛奔而去，出了大門，連前門也顧不得關(guān)上。幾個(gè)小時(shí)以后，他才被勸說回家。連他的管家都要以書信的方式跟他交流.