the number of shows and movies featuring branching  timelines and multiverses have been multiplying,  

以分支時間線和多重世界為特色的節目和電影的數量一直在增加。

and you may be low-key wondering just how  much of the fiction resembles reality. 

而你可能會低調地想知道，這些虛構的東西有多少與現實相似。

Scientists have been asking these same questions  for decades because from what we've seen,  

科學家們幾十年來一直在問這些同樣的問題，因為從我們看到的情況來看。

the future is far from certain. The idea of  multiple worlds is compelling because it solves a  

未來還遠未確定。多重世界的想法是引人注目的，因為它解決了一個

thorny issue that arises from quantum mechanics. Classical physics is typically thought to be  

量子力學所產生的棘手問題。經典物理學通常被認為是

deterministic: if you know the speed and position  of something like a ball flying through the air,  

確定性：如果你知道某個東西的速度和位置，比如一個在空中飛行的球。

then you can predict where  the ball is going to land. 

那麼你就可以預測球的落點。

But in the quantum world,  things don't work like that.  

但在量子世界裡，事情並不是這樣的。

It is impossible to know the exact speed  and position of a particle like an electron,  

要知道像電子這樣的粒子的確切速度和位置是不可能的。

and so it is impossible to say for certain  what it will do, only the probabilities. 

是以，不可能肯定地說它會做什麼，只能說是概率。

The mathematical expression of all known  possibilities of a particle's location  

一個粒子的位置的所有已知可能性的數學表達方式

and characteristics is called its wave  function. Bizarrely, in the quantum  

和特徵被稱為其波函數。詭異的是，在量子

realm particles appear to exist in multiple  states simultaneously, until something causes  

境界粒子似乎同時以多種狀態存在，直到有東西導致

only one outcome to result, what's known in  science-y talk as “collapsing the wave function”.

只有一個結果，也就是科學術語中所說的 "波函數坍縮"。

The mechanism that causes wave functions  to collapse is still debated, but one of  

導致波函數坍縮的機制仍有爭議，但其中一個原因是

the most widely accepted is the Copenhagen  Interpretation. It states wave functions  

最廣泛接受的是哥本哈根解釋。它指出波函數

collapse when they are observed, measured, or  interact with the classical world in some way. 

當它們被觀察、測量或以某種方式與經典世界互動時就會崩潰。

It sounds bizarre but that's a conclusion the  evidence points to. It's beyond the scope of this  

這聽起來很奇怪，但這是證據指向的一個結論。這已經超出了本報告的範圍

video but if you want to know more about it, check  out this video on the double slit experiment here.

視頻，但如果你想了解更多關於它的資訊，請查看這個關於雙縫實驗的視頻。

The Copenhagen interpretation comes with its own  issues, which physicist Edwin Shrodinger tried  

哥本哈根解釋也有自己的問題，物理學家埃德溫-薛定諤試圖

to point out when he devised a thought experiment  where a cat in a box could be both alive and dead  

當他設計了一個思想實驗，讓盒子裡的貓既可以是活的也可以是死的時候，他指出了這一點。

at the same time so long as no one looked inside. But what if we're looking at this the wrong way,  

在同一時間，只要沒有人看裡面。但如果我們看錯了呢。

and the wave functions don't actually collapse? What if instead all possibilities continue  

而波函數實際上並沒有坍縮？如果所有的可能性都繼續存在呢？

to exist and our universe simply branches  off into separate worlds for each outcome?  

存在，而我們的宇宙只是為每一種結果抽成了不同的世界？

A mind-boggling number of worlds  could be constantly branching off for every  

一個令人難以置信的世界數量可以不斷分支，為每一個

single possible outcome in this vast universe. That was the idea put forward by Hugh Everett  

在這個龐大的宇宙中，只有一個可能的結果。這就是休-埃弗雷特提出的想法

in 1957. It's an intriguing thought  but if the worlds are truly split,  

在1957年。這是一個耐人尋味的想法，但如果兩個世界真的分裂了。

then there's no way to ever directly observe  them, let alone open a doorway between them. 

那麼就沒有辦法直接觀察它們，更不用說在它們之間打開一個門。

On the one hand, that's great news if you're  worried about some some  

一方面，這是一個好消息，如果你擔心一些

parallel-world- hopping conqueror 

平行世界跳躍的征服者

suddenly showing up. On the other hand, it's  frustrating if you're a scientist or if you have  

突然出現了。另一方面，如果你是一個科學家，或者如果你有

aspirations of inter-universe conquest… or both.

宇宙間征服的願望......或者兩者都有。

Of course, the many-worlds interpretation just  

當然，多世界的解釋只是

creates its own set of questions, fittingly.  Like, what actually causes worlds to split?  

恰當地創造了它自己的一系列問題。 比如，究竟是什麼導致了世界的分裂？

One possible mechanism is decoherence where  quantum states gradually unravel as a result  

一個可能的機制是退相干，即量子態逐漸解體的結果。

of their interactions with their environment.  If that's the case, then worlds don't have hard  

他們與環境的相互作用。 如果是這樣的話，那麼世界上就沒有硬性的

splits, more like gradual separations until  they reach a point when they can no longer  

分裂，更像是逐漸的分離，直到他們達到一個點，他們不再能夠

affect each other and are truly distinct. There are more issues with the many-worlds  

互相影響，真正不同。許多世界有更多的問題

interpretation, some that are more in the  realm of philosophy than physics. Like,  

解釋，有些是在哲學領域而不是物理學領域。比如。

if worlds are constantly branching off creating  countless slightly different versions of you,  

如果世界不斷分支，創造出無數個略有不同的你。

then what does it mean to be you? Some versions  of you should be incredibly similar while a huge  

那麼成為你意味著什麼呢？有些版本的你應該是驚人的相似，而巨大的

number of others are profoundly different. Which one is the real one? Some physicists  

其他一些人則有深刻的不同。哪一個才是真正的？一些物理學家

might say that no single one is, but the real  you is the sum total of all versions of yourself.  

可能會說，沒有一個人是，但真正的你是所有版本的自己的總和。

And other physicists might say that the  whole idea of many worlds is hogwash.  

而其他物理學家可能會說，許多世界的整個想法是胡扯。

The debate rages on and because there's no proof  

爭論不休，因為沒有證據

yet for one argument or the other, it could  very well continue for a long time to come. 

然而，由於這樣或那樣的原因，它很可能在未來很長一段時間內持續下去。

One thing I will confidently predict is that due  to its intriguing nature and the possibilities  

有一件事我將自信地預測，由於其耐人尋味的性質和可能性

it opens up, the many-worlds interpretation of  quantum mechanics is definitely going to be a  

它開闢了，量子力學的多世界解釋肯定會是一個

staple of science fiction until the end of time.

科幻小說的主力軍，直到時間的盡頭。

While we're still searching for branching worlds,

當我們還在尋找分支世界的時候。

another universe may have bumped into ours.

另一個宇宙可能已經撞上了我們的宇宙。

Check out this video on that right here.

請看這段視頻，就在這裡。

So, do you buy into the many worlds idea, and if so,

那麼，你是否相信許多世界的想法，如果是的話。

what do you think about all the other you's that could be running around

你認為所有其他的 "你 "可能會到處亂跑的情況如何？

out there. Let us know in the comments,  

在那裡。 請在評論中告訴我們。

be sure to subscribe, and I or some version  of myself will see you next time on Seeker.

請務必訂閱，我或我的某個版本將在Seeker上看到你。