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現在就開始 Brilliant 直覺式學習，在 brilliant.org/HAI 註冊的前 424 人

to sign up at brilliant.org/HAI.

可享有 20％ 的折扣。

America.

美國。

Land of the free, home of one of the world's top five systems of units.

自由之地，世界五大單位系統之一的所在地。

Sixteen fluid ounces make a cup, four cups make a pint, three pints make a quart, and

1 杯的容量是 16 液體盎司， 4 杯等於 1 品脫，3 品脫等於一夸脫

two quarts make a gallon.

2 夸脫等於 1 加侖。

It just make sense!

很合理！

Right?

對吧？

Likely not since none of that was true but you believed it, maybe.

可能不是，因為沒有一個是真的，但你也許會相信。

The US, with an asterisk, uses that imperial system or rather an extra special variation

標記星號的美國式英制單位，或更確切地說它是一種特殊的單位

of it for extra special Americans.

適用於極特殊的美國人。

The rest of the world, save Myanmar and Liberia, use the International System of Units but

除了緬甸和賴比瑞亞之外，世界上其他國家都使用「國際單位制」

if you take out your “Extra Special American Dictionary” you'll see that “international”

但如果你拿出你的「極特殊美國詞典」，你會發現「國際」的意思是

means “basically China, which is communist,” and we wouldn't want to be using communist

「基本上就是中國，也就是共產主義」，我們不會想要使用共產主義制的單位

units would we?

對吧？

Oh here's that asterisk.

這就是星號。

The US uses customary units everywhere except for here, on one road in Arizona.

除了亞利桑那州的一條公路外，美國各地都使用傳統美制單位。

We'll get back to that.

我們等下再談這個。

During decolonization, all the former British Empire countries were really excited to not

在去殖民化期間，所有以前被大英帝國殖民的國家都非常高興

be British and as part of that they were really excited to ditch the British Imperial System

能夠脫離英國，特別是，他們真的很高興能擺脫

of units.

英制單位。

That included the US which was also super excited to adopt one system of units since

美国也是脫離英制單位的國家之一，它超高興可以採用單一的單位制

just after independence it used a variety of units such as Dutch ones in New York or

因為自從美國獨立後，就採用了多種的單位制，例如在紐約使用的荷蘭制，或是

Imperial ones in New England and if that time when NASA lost an $125 million orbiter due

在新英格蘭地區使用的英制，當時因為單位換算上的錯誤，導致美國航空太空總署

to a conversion error or that time when a plane ran out of fuel over the Atlantic due

損失了造價1.25億美元的人造衛星，以及因為單位換算上的錯誤，導致一架飛機在大西洋上空

to a conversion error or that time when Columbus landed in the Bahamas instead of Asia and

燃油耗盡，以及因單位換算上的錯誤，導致哥倫布登陸在巴哈馬群島而不是亞洲

accidentally discovered the New World due a conversion error, having to convert units

因此意外的發現了新大陸，不同單位必須換算

is bad.

是件很糟糕的事。

Wait was that last one a bad thing?

等等，最後的那件 (哥倫布發現新大陸) 很糟糕嗎？

Depends who you ask I guess.

那要看你問的是誰了。

So, to simplify things, a politician's secretary named Thomas sent a letter to France to ask

因此，為了簡單化，一位政治家的秘書名叫湯馬斯的，寄了一封信給法國

them to send a kilogram.

要求他們寄一公斤的東西。

You see, this is super self explanatory, but if you wanted to adopt the metric system you

我想這不用解釋大家也懂吧，但是如果你想採用公制

needed to, like, know how much a kilogram was.

至少你必須知道，比方說，一公斤是多少。

Thomas Jefferson, who was the Secretary of State, I guess that detail is important, was

湯瑪斯．傑佛遜，他是美國國務卿，我想這個細節滿重要的

going to upon delivery decide if he liked how the kilogram felt, I guess?

他要在交貨時，來決定他是否喜歡公斤的感覺，我是這麼猜的？

Unfortunately the shipping service wasn't very good.

不幸的是，運送服務很糟。

France sent this guy, scientist Joseph Dombey, on a ship but then the ship got blown south,

法國派了ㄧ名叫約瑟夫．多貝的科學家，乘船而來，但是風將船吹向南方

to the Caribbean, where there were pirates who took him and his kilogram, and killed

到了加勒比海地區，那裡的海盜將他抓起來，搶走他的東西，並殺死

him.

他。

You know, I'm really starting to think that pirates are troublemakers.

你知道嗎，我真的開始認為海盜是麻煩製造者。

Oh, so, what's a pirates favorite unit?

哦，那麼，海盜最喜歡的是哪一種單位制？

A kilomtaaaarrr since the base 10 system allows for easier conversion.

公斤，因為十進位換算起來必較容易。

So, since Thomas didn't have a kilogram he couldn't switch the country over since

由於湯馬斯沒有拿到那一公斤，所以他無法改變這個國家的單位制

he didn't know how much a kilogram was and to this day, not a single American knows what

因為他不知道一公斤是多少，直到今天，沒有一個美國人知道一公斤

a kilogram is.

是多少。

In reality he probably could've asked for another one but Britain was at least, 50 kilometers

實際上他本可以再要一個，但英國相隔至少50公里

away.

之遙。

Shipping times were slow.

運送曠日廢時。

Better to just use imperial units.

最好的方式就是直接使用英制單位。

Ok, so industrial revolution, civil war, World War One, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera, 200

接著發生了工業革命，美國內戰，第一次世界大戰，等等，等等，等等

years later and bam, the United States is still using imperial units.

200 年後，哇，美國仍在使用英制單位。

But the US really tried to switch.

但美國確實試圖改變。

They passed a law in 1975 that pretty much said, “hey, you can switch if you want.”

他們在 1975 年通過了一項法律，大致是說，「嘿，只要你願意，你就可以改。」

This push for conversion was met with intense opposition especially from Republican Charles

這一推動改革的努力遭致強烈的反對，尤其是共和黨人查爾斯．格拉斯利

Grassley who said, “forcing the American people to convert to the metric system goes

他說：「強迫美國人民轉換成使用公制

against our democratic principles.”

是違反了我們的民主原則。」

I also believe that forcing the American people not to murder goes against our democratic

我也認為，強迫美國人民不可殺人，是違反了我們的民主

principles.

原則。

Nonetheless, America started to switch, at least here, in Arizona on Interstate 19 between

儘管如此，美國開始改變，至少在這裡，在亞利桑那州的土桑

Tucson and the Mexican border whose signs were fully switched to metric as an experiment.

和墨西哥邊境之間的 19 號州際公路上，實驗性的將標誌完全改為公制。

People truly believed that the country was going to switch to metric because the government

人民真的相信美國會改用公制，因為政府

told them so and would the government ever lie?

是這麼告訴人民的，那政府會不會說謊呢？

Now, plenty of signs in the US use both miles and kilometers, but I-19 is the only highway

現在，美國有很多標誌是英里和公里並存的，但 I-19 公路

in the country to use exclusively metric units.

是美國唯一使用公制單位的高速公路。

They've thought about changing it since the great metric revolution never came, but

他們已經考慮要改掉它，因為偉大的公制革命從未發生

all the exits are numbered off how many kilometers they are from the border so then they'd

基於所有的出口，都是根據它們離邊界多少公里來編號的，所以這些標誌必須全部改掉

have to all change and then businesses would have to change which exit they say to get

然後企業在廣告中所說的第幾號出口

off on in their ads.

也得跟著改掉。

It's just complicated.

這很複雜。

Nonetheless, Arizona law now says that from now on if and when the signs get replaced

儘管如此，亞利桑那州的法律現在規定，從現在起，如果標誌被更換

they have to be in miles to much opposition by local residents who say it will be too

就必須用英里標示，但遭到當地居民的反對，他們說

difficult to convert to imperial.

要改為英制太困難了。

Ok so… hmm there's nothing left on the script.

好吧，那麼 ... 劇本到此結束了。

Wait that's it?

等等，就這樣結束了？

You make a five minute video and the cumulation is that there's a road with signs using

你做了一個五分鐘的影片，鋪陳到最後只說有一條道路的標誌

metric?

使用公制？

Who's the writer here?

誰寫的劇本？

This is such a stupid show.

這部影片有夠爛的。

I quit.

老子不幹了。

Your show is stupid, your jokes are stupid, this is all stupid.

你拍的影片很爛，你的笑話很爛，一切都很爛。

Ok I've calmed down a bit, had some tea, and remembered that I'm the writer.

好了，我已經冷靜一些了，喝了點茶，然後想起來劇本就是我寫的。

Except… oh boy… this tea is laced… with amphetamines.

除了... 哇塞 ... 這茶裡 ... 掺了安非他命。

That's not good.

這很糟糕。

You see, there's about 630 nanogram of amphetamines per liter of water according to scientists.

你知道嗎，據科學家的說法，每升水約有 630 毫微克的安非他命。

So, two questions: what are nanograms and how much drug is there in my tea.

所以，有兩個問題：什麼是毫微克，和我的茶中倒底有多少毒品。

If only there was a website that could answ… wait, what's that?

如果只要能找到一個網站可以回答我的問題 ... 等等，那是什麼？

brilliant.org can?

brilliant.org 這個網站可以？

Oh how handy they have a quiz that teaches you how to calculate how many nanograms of

哦，他們有一個簡單測驗教你如何計算你的茶中

amphetamines there are in your tea.

有多少毫微安的安非他命。

You see, they teach by breaking concepts down to their intuitive principles so you can build

你知道嗎，他們將概念拆解開，以直覺法進行教學，這樣你就可以

up to the answer.

逐步漸進地找到答案。

This way you don't memorize how to do something, you understand it.

如此一來，你不必去強記如何去做，自然而然就會了。

To take your learning to the next level and trust your tea again, go to brilliant.org/HAI

為了讓你的學習更上一層樓，並再次相信你喝的茶沒問題，請造訪 brilliant.org/HAI

to sign up for free and try Brilliant out and then the first 424 people to use that

免費註冊並試用看看，前 424 名使用該鏈接上網的人

link will also get 20% off their annual premium subscription.

訂閱升級版也將獲得每年 20％ 的折扣。