The Biggest Magnet

　　最大的磁體

　　A: What's the biggest magnet ever?

　　究竟什么是最大的磁體?

　　B: Well, that's a great question. Well, for starters you'd have to mention whoppers like the hybrid magnet at the National High Magnetic Field Lab in Tallahassee, Florida.This magnet weighs thirty-four tons and stands twenty-two feet tall.Giant magnets in hospitals, physics labs, and other facilities help in cutting edge research. However, even a magnet the size of a building can't compete with a magnet the size of a planet.

　　嗯，問得好。對于初學者來說，不得不提一下那些龐然大物，比如佛羅里達塔拉哈西的國家高磁場實驗室的混合磁體。這塊磁鐵重34噸，立起來有22英尺高。醫院，物理實驗室和其他設備里的巨型磁體對尖端研究有幫助。然而，即使是一塊建筑物大小的磁體也不能和一塊行星大小的磁體相匹敵。

　　A: A magnet the size of a planet?

　　一塊行星大小的磁體?

　　B: The Earth itself is a magnet! Researchers think it's the effect of convection currents in our planet's molten interior that causes the entire Earth to behave as one gigantic magnet, with a North and South Pole.Whenever you look at a compass, what you're doing is reading the magnetic field of the planet on which you are standing.

　　地球本身就是一塊磁體。研究者們認為，是地球內部熔巖里對流流的作用使得整個地球像個擁有南北磁極的巨型磁體一樣運轉。每當你看著指南針的時候，你所做的就是讀取你所在行星的磁場。

　　A: So that must be the biggest magnet than anywhere.

　　所以那就是最大的磁體咯。

　　B: Yet, even a magnet the size of a planet can't compete with a magnet the size of a star.

　　但是，即使是行星大小的磁體也不能和恒星大小的磁體相匹敵。

　　A: A star?

　　恒星?

　　B: what about the sun? The sun is a magnet. In this case, the magnetic field is probably generated by swirling plasma. Magnetic storms on the sun are powerful enough to have an effect on satellites and communication systems all the way here on Earth.

　　比如說太陽?太陽是一塊磁體。假若這樣，磁場可能是由旋動的等離子產生的。太陽上的磁暴威力足夠強大，可以對人造衛星和地球上通信系統的各個方面產生影響。

　　A: So is that?

　　那就是最大的了?

　　B: Not even close. There are things in space that put all of these magnets to shame.

　　還差得遠呢。宇宙中還有更多讓這些磁體相形見絀的事物呢。

　　A: Super magnet in space? What are they?

　　宇宙中的超強磁體?是些什么呢?

　　B: Next time.

　　下次再說吧。

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