No matter where you are in the world, you'll find this pen in homes, offices, schools, and pretty much everywhere else.

無論您身在世界何處，您都會在家中、辦公室、學校以及幾乎所有其他地方發現這支筆。

This iconic design has reached every corner of the earth, and at some point in your life, you've almost certainly used this pen.

這種標誌性的設計已經深入地球的每一個角落，在你生命中的某個時刻，你幾乎肯定用過這支筆。

Since its release in 1950, more than 100 billion of these pens have been sold worldwide, blowing the next best-selling products out of the water.

自 1950 年發佈以來，這種筆已在全球售出超過 1 000 億支，令其他暢銷產品望塵莫及。

Amazingly, the design has remained basically unchanged for over 70 years, and it still continues to dominate the world, with 14 million being sold every day.

令人驚歎的是，70 多年來，它的設計基本保持不變，至今仍在全球佔據主導地位，每天售出 1400 萬輛。

The impact this pen had on the world was monumental.

這支筆對世界的影響是巨大的。

Pen prices dropped, and literacy rates shot up.

鋼筆價格下降，識字率上升。

But what made this pen so successful?

但是，是什麼讓這支筆如此成功呢？

We modeled every last detail to show you the incredible story behind this pen, and how its clever use of physics made it the most perfect design.

我們對每一個細節都進行了建模，向您展示這支筆背後令人難以置信的故事，以及它是如何巧妙地利用物理原理使其成為最完美的設計。

But to really understand how revolutionary this pen was, we need to go back in time.

但是，要真正瞭解這支筆的革命性意義，我們還需要回到過去。

In the past, pens were expensive and difficult to use.

過去，鋼筆既昂貴又難用。

Traditional quills were messy and had to be constantly dipped in ink.

傳統鵝毛筆很髒，必須經常蘸墨。

Because of this, writing was seen as more of an art form, limited to those who could use a pen.

正因為如此，寫作更多地被視為一種藝術形式，僅限於那些會用筆的人。

Then the fountain pen was invented, which had a metallic nib and could store the ink inside the pen's reservoir.

後來，人們發明了鋼筆，它有一個金屬筆尖，可以將墨水儲存在鋼筆的儲墨池中。

Although this was an improvement, the nib was scratchy and couldn't control the flow of ink.

雖然這是個進步，但筆尖很粗糙，無法控制墨水的流動。

On top of this, they were still super expensive, costing around $150 in today's money.

除此之外，它們還非常昂貴，按現在的價格計算，大約需要 150 美元。

At the time, only around 20% of the world could read and write, and this wasn't making it any easier.

當時，世界上只有約 20% 的人能夠讀寫，這並沒有給人們帶來任何便利。

But at the end of the 19th century, a breakthrough was made.

但在 19 世紀末，我們取得了突破性進展。

American inventor John Loud came up with a mechanism that fed the ink onto the page using a small ball instead of a thin nib.

美國發明家約翰-勞德發明了一種裝置，用一個小球代替細筆尖將墨水送入頁面。

This would, in theory, spread the ink more evenly and stop it from blotching.

從理論上講，這樣可以使墨水塗抹得更均勻，防止墨水暈開。

He had just invented the ballpoint pen.

他剛剛發明了原子筆。

While this design worked well on tougher surfaces, it was too rough on paper, and so his pen never sold.

雖然這種設計在較硬的表面上效果很好，但在紙上就顯得過於粗糙，是以他的筆一直沒有賣出去。

Decades went by, and many new designs were made, but none of them could master the ballpoint pen.

幾十年過去了，新設計層出不窮，但沒有一款能駕馭原子筆。

If the ball was too tight in its socket, the ink would clog up and it wouldn't reach the paper.

如果墨球在套筒裡太緊，墨水就會堵塞，無法到達紙張。

If it was too loose, the ink would leak out and smear all over the page.

如果太鬆，墨水就會漏出來，塗得滿頁都是。

Getting this right was extremely difficult, since the tiny ball was difficult to make with any kind of accuracy.

要做到這一點非常困難，因為小球很難製作得非常精確。

Then came Laszlo Biro, a man with a name you might recognize.

然後是拉斯洛-比羅，一個你可能認識的名字。

He realized that the solution was in the ink.

他意識到，解決辦法就在墨水裡。

Most pens at the time used thin, water-based ink, which was leaky, slow-drying, and would seep through the fibers of the paper.

當時，大多數鋼筆都使用稀薄的水性墨水，這種墨水容易滲漏、乾燥緩慢，而且會滲入紙張纖維。

It also relied on gravity to feed the ink into the ball, which, depending on the angle of the pen, gave really poor results.

它還依靠重力將墨水送入墨球，根據筆的角度不同，效果很差。

He started experimenting with oil-based inks, which were thicker, dried almost instantly, and sat on top of the paper instead of seeping through.

他開始嘗試使用油性墨水，這種墨水更濃稠，幾乎可以瞬間變幹，而且可以附著在紙張上，而不是滲入紙張。

This turned out to be a stroke of genius, and it unlocked a unique physical effect that caused the ink to be mysteriously pulled onto the ball without gravity or any external forces.

事實證明，這是一個天才之舉，它開啟了一種獨特的物理效應，使墨水在沒有重力或任何外力的情況下被神祕地拉到球上。

This is called capillary action, and it's what allows water to climb tree roots and nutrients to flow around our body.

這就是所謂的毛細作用，是它讓水能夠爬上樹根，讓營養物質在我們的身體中流動。

We can see this effect in action by placing a thin tube into some water and watching it climb.

我們可以將一根細管放入水中，觀察它的爬升，從而看到這種效果。

But what's happening here?

但這裡發生了什麼？

The attraction between the liquid and the walls of the tube is stronger than the attraction that binds the liquid particles together, and so the particles at the top get pulled up by the side of the tube until the weight of the water eventually cancels out the force.

液體和管壁之間的吸引力大於將液體顆粒粘合在一起的吸引力，是以頂部的顆粒會被管子的一側拉起，直到水的重量最終抵消了這種力。

In Biro's pen, this effect was happening upside down.

在畢羅的筆下，這種效果發生了顛倒。

The ink was being pulled through the ultra-thin walls of the tip and onto the ball, ensuring that it was constantly covered in ink.

墨水通過筆尖的超薄壁被拉到墨球上，確保墨球始終被墨水覆蓋。

Biro quickly patented his design and sent it over to the patent office using AnyDesk.

Biro 很快為自己的設計申請了專利，並使用 AnyDesk 將其提交給了專利局。

Just kidding, AnyDesk weren't around then, but they are around now.

開個玩笑，AnyDesk 當時還不存在，但現在已經存在了。

AnyDesk, today's sponsor, is a remote access service that allows you to control your device from anywhere in the world.

今天的贊助商 AnyDesk 是一項遠程訪問服務，可讓您在世界任何地方控制自己的設備。

All of the animations in this video were made on a MacBook, but rendered on a PC.

本視頻中的所有動畫均在 MacBook 上製作，但在 PC 上渲染。

With AnyDesk, I can send the Blender files to my PC and hit render no matter where I am in the world.

有了 AnyDesk，無論我身在何處，都可以將 Blender 文件發送到我的電腦上，然後點擊渲染。

AnyDesk is also an easy way to send and receive files directly from other computers without needing to upload them to the cloud.

AnyDesk 還是一種直接從其他電腦收發文件的簡便方法，無需將文件上傳到雲端。

Even with poor internet, AnyDesk is lightning fast.

即使在網絡不發達的情況下，AnyDesk 的速度也快如閃電。

It has its own special codec that transfers the video of your computer at an extremely low bitrate without a noticeable drop in quality.

它有自己的特殊編解碼器，能以極低的比特率傳輸電腦視頻，而不會明顯降低品質。

AnyDesk works on all platforms, and best of all, it's free to use for personal use.

AnyDesk 適用於所有平臺，最重要的是，它可以免費供個人使用。

And they also have tailor-made plans for businesses.

他們還為企業量身定製了計劃。

To get AnyDesk for free and support the channel, visit anydesk.com slash primalspace.

要免費獲取 AnyDesk 並支持該頻道，請訪問 anydesk.com slash primalspace。

In order to master the ballpoint pen, Biro came up with a new design that would pull the ink onto the ball without gravity or moving parts, producing a consistent and smooth line on the page.

為了掌握原子筆，Biro 設計出了一種新的筆頭，這種筆頭可以在沒有重力或移動部件的情況下將墨水吸附到筆珠上，從而在紙上劃出一條條連貫流暢的線條。

Biro mastered his design, and his pen became a hit in South America.

畢羅掌握了他的設計，他的筆在南美大受歡迎。

But there was still one huge problem.

但還有一個巨大的問題。

The cheapest pen he offered cost an incredible $190 in today's money.

他提供的最便宜的鋼筆按現在的價格計算也要 190 美元。

And so although the design was great, he never achieved mass-market success.

是以，雖然設計很棒，但他從未在大眾市場取得成功。

At this point, literacy rates had only hit around 33%, and pens remained a luxury item.

此時，識字率只有 33% 左右，鋼筆仍然是奢侈品。

But just a few years later, French manufacturer Marcel Biche discovered Biro's pen and saw a huge opportunity.

但就在幾年後，法國製造商馬塞爾-比切發現了畢羅的鋼筆，並看到了巨大的商機。

He bought the patents for $2 million and began designing a new and improved version that could be mass-produced for a much cheaper price.

他花 200 萬美元買下了這些專利，並開始設計一種新的改進型產品，以更低廉的價格進行批量生產。

With the help of state-of-the-art Swiss watchmaking machines, he developed a method for mass-producing tiny stainless steel balls to within a fraction of a millimeter.

在最先進的瑞士製表機器的幫助下，他開發出了一種批量生產微小不鏽鋼球的方法，其精度可達到幾分之一毫米。

Instead of using metal for the rest of the pen, he bought machines that could mold plastic, something that had only been around for a few years at this point.

他沒有在筆的其餘部分使用金屬，而是購買了可以成型塑膠的機器，而這種機器在當時才出現了幾年。

This was the end result.

這就是最終的結果。

Although it may just look like a pen, it's hard to overstate just how perfect this design turned out to be.

雖然它看起來只是一支筆，但這一設計的完美程度卻難以言表。

There were no moving parts, springs, or complex materials, yet every element had multiple purposes.

沒有活動部件、彈簧或複雜的材料，但每個元素都有多種用途。

Let's take a closer look.

讓我們仔細看看。

The pen had a hexagonal barrel, like a pencil, which stopped it from rolling off tables and made it easier to grip.

這種筆的筆桿是六角形的，就像鉛筆一樣，這樣就不會從桌子上滾落，也更容易握住。

It was made from polystyrene, which was strong, cheap, and transparent, allowing the ink level to be seen at all times.

它由聚苯乙烯製成，堅固、廉價、透明，可以隨時看到墨水量。

There was a tiny hole on the barrel, which allowed air to enter and replace ink as it left the pen.

筆桿上有一個小孔，當墨水離開筆桿時，空氣可以進入小孔更換墨水。

The ink inside the cartridge was a special recipe that maximized the capillary effect while still producing a good quality line.

墨盒內的墨水是一種特殊配方，既能最大限度地發揮毛細管效應，又能打印出高質量的線條。

The ink flowed into the tip of the pen, which contained the stainless steel ball.

墨水流入筆尖，筆尖上有一個不鏽鋼球。

The ball was machined so accurately and could move just enough to spin and deposit ink onto the page.

小球的加工非常精確，可以移動到足以旋轉並將墨水沉積到頁面上。

When the pen wasn't being used, the ball would create a seal, stopping ink from leaking out of the bottom.

不使用鋼筆時，鋼珠會形成一個密封圈，阻止墨水從底部滲出。

If the pen was turned upside down, the capillary action and the surface tension of the ink would stop it from falling out the back of the pen.

如果把筆倒過來，墨水的毛細作用和表面張力會阻止它從筆的背面掉出來。

The lid, which also doubled as a clip, was made from polypropylene, which absorbed impacts and stopped the pen from cracking.

筆蓋也是一個筆夾，由聚丙烯製成，可以吸收衝擊力，防止筆破裂。

The pen was so perfectly simple and solved every problem that plagued previous pens.

這支筆非常簡單，解決了困擾以往鋼筆的所有問題。

Most of all, it was cheap, hitting the market in 1950 at just $2.

最重要的是，它價格便宜，1950 年上市時僅售 2 美元。

It was an instant success, selling around 10,000 units daily in France during its first year.

該車一經推出便大獲成功，第一年在法國的日銷量約為 10 000 臺。

Marcel realized how English-speaking countries were pronouncing his name, so he dropped the H, and the BIC name was born.

馬塞爾意識到英語國家是如何發音他的名字的，於是他去掉了 "H"，BIC 這個名字就這樣誕生了。

Marcel understood the importance of economies of scale, and he quickly expanded to other continents, setting up factories all over the world.

馬塞爾深知規模經濟的重要性，他迅速將業務擴展到其他大洲，在世界各地建立了工廠。

By 1953, he was already selling 40 million pens per year, and the BIC crystal took over the world.

到 1953 年，他的鋼筆年銷量已達 4000 萬支，BIC 水晶筆風靡全球。

Now anyone in the world who wanted to write or draw could do so, and it was easy.

現在，世界上任何想寫作或繪畫的人都可以做到，而且很容易。

The world had secretly been begging for this product, and it came at the perfect time.

全世界都在暗中渴求這款產品，而它的出現恰逢其時。

Over the next 50 years, 100 billion of these pens were sold, and literacy rates went from 35 to almost 90%.

在接下來的 50 年裡，這種筆共售出 1 000 億支，識字率從 35% 提高到近 90%。

It's almost impossible to imagine life without this pen, and the fact that its design has remained almost exactly the same since day one shows just how perfect it was.

幾乎無法想象沒有這支筆的生活會是什麼樣子，而它的設計從第一天起就幾乎保持不變，這說明它是多麼完美。

And now, for the Primal Space giveaway.

現在，是《原始空間》贈品環節。

The winner of the previous giveaway is Adrian. In the next video, we'll be giving away this Primal Space-designed space shuttle print, available in our store.

上期贈品的獲勝者是艾德里安。 在下一個視頻中，我們將贈送這款由 Primal Space 設計的航天飛機印刷品，在我們的商店有售。

All you need to do is sign up at the link below, like the video, and leave a comment saying what you think of this pen's design.

您只需通過下面的鏈接註冊，喜歡這段視頻，並留言說說您對這支筆設計的看法。

Thank you very much for watching, and I'll see you in the next video.

非常感謝您的收看，我們下期視頻再見。