发布时间 : 星期一 文章翻译练习物理学更新完毕开始阅读a55558aa71fe910ef12df863
细推物理自有乐
从这一讲开始，我们谈谈中国古代物理学史。主要是讲讲古代中国人在物理学方面所取得的成就，当然是一些较为重大的成就。
中国物理学史是中国科技史中最年轻的学科。直到20世纪晚期，通过几代人的努力，我们才有了它的一个大概轮廓。
研究物理学史，若能发现历史上有数量关系的物理规律，如声学中弦线长度与音高关系，那就是科学文化上的珍宝。此外，很重要的方面是，古代人认识到多少物理现象并被文字记载下来。因为，“现象是物理学的根源”。杨振宁曾如是说道：
物理学最重要的部分是与现象有关的。绝大部分物理学是从现象中来的。现象是物理学的根源。一个人不与现象接触不一定不能做重要的工作，但是他容易误入形式主义的歧途；他对物理学的了解不会是切中要害的。我所认识的重要的物理学家都很重视实际的物理现象。
古代中国人记录了大量实际的、经验的或技术意义上的物理现象。
研究中国物理学史的困难在于其史料极为零散。不像天、算、农、医那样，有成本的著作供人学习、研究。即使《考工记》、《墨经》、《梦溪笔谈》等著作也只有一小部分文字与物理学相关。然而，在古代图书分类的经、史、子、集四部中，几乎没有一本是丝毫不涉及物理现象的著作。难度在于你必须将整本书认真读完，脑中紧绷物理学各种概念，或许你能在该书中识别出一两句文字确实与物理学相关的物理现象。先秦典籍《考工记·国有六职》中说：“粤无镈。”为什么？又说：“粤之无镈也，非无镈也，夫人而能为镈也。”“镈”即今日的农具——锄。在粤国市肆上没有锄的买卖，不是因为该国无锄，而是其国人人都能制造锄。这种情形与阅读古代典籍、寻觅物理现象的记载颇为相似。
Joy of probing into physics
From this chapter on we are going to talk about the ancient Chinese physics, especially those major successes achieved in physics by the Chinese in ancient times. The history of physics is the youngest subject in the study of history of science and technology in China. Not until the late 20th century had we got an outline of the history of physics in China through the arduous work of several generations.
In the investigation of the history of physics, any discovery of regularities concerning numerical relationships like the one, in acoustics, between the length of the string and the pitch of a musical instrument would be deemed as great treasure in science and culture. Besides, it is of great significance to know how many physical phenomena were realized and then recorded in written form by Chinese people in ancient times, for phenomena are the origin of physics. In this respect, Dr. Yang Zhenning once said,
“The most important part of physics is related to phenomena, which are the origin of a greater part of physics. One does not have to get in touch with phenomena while doing some important physical research, but, without touching phenomena, he would likely get trapped in formalism, and could possibly fail in arriving at the key part of physics. All those distinguished physicists I’ve ever known attach great importance to physical phenomena.”
In ancient times Chinese people recorded large numbers of physical phenomena found through their practice and experience or related to the techniques they were using.
It is difficult to study the history of physics in China because the data are scattered. Unlike astronomy, mathematics, agriculture, and medicine, physics cannot be investigated with reference to volumes of works that focus on physics. Even in such books as Kaogongji, Mojing, and Sketchbook of Dream Brook, there is only a little part or a few words related to physics. Yet, each work of the four categories of the traditional Chinese writings—Jing (Confucian classics), Shi (history), Zi (philosophy), Ji (belles-letters), involves something that touches physics. The toughness is that, only after you go through the whole work and, at the same time, bear all the physical concepts in mind, will you be able to identify one or two sentences in the work that are related to certain physical phenomena. Kaogongji—Six State Professions, a classic of the Qin Dynasty, says that there were no hoes sold on the market in the state of Yue. Why? As it continues, “It was not because hoes were absent in that state but because everyone in Yue could make hoes.” The difficulty in getting a hoe on the market in Yue is quite similar to the difficulty in finding records of physical phenomena from among a lot of Chinese classics.