Meet our chemist, Harriet. She has a chemical reaction that needs to occur more quickly.
这是我们的化学家，哈莉特。她需要加速一个化学反应。
A chemist has some processes at her disposal that can help her speed up her reaction, and she knows of five ways.
化学家通常有一些可以采用的程序来加速化学反应，她知道五个方法。
And to remember them, she thinks back to her days as a high school student, and the day she got a date for the dance.
为了记住这五个方法，她回想她中学时期遇到舞伴的那天。
Harriet was in high school, studying between classes.
中学时的哈莉特有天正利用下课时间读书。
She had lost track of time and was going to be late to class.
读着读着忘了时间，赶不上下堂课。
Unbeknownst to her, Harold, who was just around the corner, was running late, too.
她绝没料到快迟到的哈洛德也正巧在转角处，他们俩都奋力冲向教室。
They both sprinted to class and, as it happened, sprinted directly into one another. Now, this was no small collision.
说时迟那时快，他们直接撞在一起。现在看来，那可不是个小小的碰撞。
They ran squarely into one another in such a way that he knocked the books right out of her hand.
这一撞，把哈莉特手上的书都撞掉了。
'I'm sorry,' he said. 'Let me help you with your books.'
哈洛德说道：“对不起，让我帮你把书捡起来。”
He kindly helped her re-collect her belongings, and politely offered to walk her to class.
他和善地把她的东西捡起来，还很绅士地陪她走到教室。
And you'll never guess who went together to the dance later that year. Yup, those two.
你绝对猜不到那年谁和谁去参加舞会，没错，就是这两位。
So as we can see from this example,
所以，由此可见，
the key to getting a date for the dance is to collide with someone and knock the books out of their hands.
找到舞伴的秘诀就是和某人相撞，而且还要把他们手中的书撞掉。
Now, you're probably already aware that not all collisions lead to dates for the dance, thankfully.
现在你大概知道，不是随便撞就可以撞出一个舞伴吧。
The collisions must have two important characteristics:
这碰撞必须有两大特性：
One, correct orientation that allows books to be knocked from one's hands; and two, enough energy to knock the books out.
第一：正确的角度，可以把书撞掉的角度；第二：足够的力量，足够把书撞掉的力量。
Shortly after this incident, Harriet decided to tell me, her chemistry teacher, all about it.
事发不久后，哈莉特决定把经过通通告诉她的化学老师，也就是我。
I noticed some interesting parallels between her story and chemical reaction rates,
我发现这和化学反应有些有趣的共同点，
which happened to be what she was studying in the hallway the day of the collision.
这正是那天她撞上哈洛德之前在走廊读到的。
Together, we decided to set out on two missions.
我们决定一起执行两个任务。

Harriet wanted to help all chemistry students and chemists remember how to speed up the rate of chemical reactions and I,
哈莉特想帮助所有化学课的学生，还有化学家们记住加速化学反应的方法
being the nice guy that I am, decided to make it my mission to help create educational environments
而我这样的好人，我的任务是帮助建立一个学习环境，
in which more book-dropping collisions can take place to increase future chemists' chances of getting a date for the dance.
有更多碰撞掉书发生的学习环境，来增加未来化学家得到舞伴的机会。
In order to facilitate this improved dance-date-getting process,
为了促进这个加强版的舞伴速配过程，
I propose five changes to all schools that parallel Harriet's five ways to increase chemical reaction rates.
我建议所有的学校要有五项改革，这和哈莉特加速化学反应的方法类似。
First, I propose that we shrink the size of the hallways.
第一：我建议走廊要变窄。
This will make it more difficult to safely navigate the hallways and will cause more collisions than in larger hallways.
要安全地在走廊上游荡就更难了，这比起宽敞的走廊会制造更多碰撞的机会。
And by increasing the number of collisions,
一旦碰撞次数增加，
we increase the likelihood that some of those collisions will have the correct alignment and enough energy to create a date to the dance.
其中一些有正确定位、有足够能量的碰撞，会增加速配的机率。
Now, chemically speaking, this is equivalent to lowering the volume of a reaction vessel or a reaction mixture.
化学上的说法，等同于减少反应容器或反应混和的体积。
In doing so, the individual particles are closer together, and more collisions will occur.
这样一来，粒子与粒子间更近了，就更容易发生更多的碰撞。
More collisions means a greater likelihood that collisions with the appropriate energy and configuration will happen.
更多的碰撞，就意味着具备适合能量与配置的碰撞的更高的可能性。
Second, I propose increasing the overall population of the school. More students equals more collisions.
第二：我建议增加学校的人数。学生人数与碰撞次数成正比。
By increasing the number of particles available for collision, we create an environment where more collisions can take place.
藉由增加碰撞的粒子数，来制造一个容易发生碰撞的环境。
Third, we must reduce the time allowed between classes -- heck, let's just cut it in half.
第三：我们必须缩短课与课间的时间--哎呀，就减半好了！
In doing so, students will need to move more quickly to get from one class to the next.
这么一来，学生必须更迅速地赶下一堂课。
This increase in velocity will help make sure collisions have the appropriate amount of energy necessary to ensure book-dropping.
增加速度可以确保碰撞发生时有足够的能量把书撞掉。
This is analogous to increasing the temperature of the reaction mixture. Higher temperature means particles are moving faster.
这点和提高反应混和的温度相似。温度越高，粒子移动速度越快。
Faster-moving particles means more energy, and a greater likelihood of the reaction-causing collision.
粒子移动速度越快，就有越多的能量，发生碰撞的可能性也越高。
Fourth, students must stop traveling in packs.
第四：学生别再集体行动了。
By traveling in packs, the students on the outside of the pack insulate those in the middle from undergoing any collisions.
因为集体行动时，外围的同学会阻止中间的同学发生碰撞。
By splitting up, each student has more area exposed that is available for a collision from a passing student.
分开走的话，每个同学暴露在外的面积变大，和路过同学碰撞的机会也变多。
When particles travel in packs, the surface area is very small, and only the outside particles can collide.
当粒子成群移动时，总表面积变小，且只有外围的粒子会发生碰撞。
However, by breaking up the clumps into individual particles, the total surface area is increased,
然而，把粒子群个别拆散，总面积就会增加，
and each particle has an exposed surface that can react.
每个粒子都有可以产生化学反应的接触面。
Fifth and finally, we hire a matchmaker.
第五点也是最后一点：我们要雇个媒婆。
Is this colliding and book-dropping too violent? Is there an easier way to get a date that requires less initial energy?
又是相撞、又是掉书的，太暴力了吗？找约会对象有没有比较不费力、简单一点的方法呢？
Then a matchmaker will help with this. The matchmaker makes it easier for a couple to get together, by coordinating the match.
那媒婆就派上用场了！有媒婆从中撮和就更容易成双成对了。
Our matchmaker is like a catalyst. Chemical catalysts function by lowering the activation energy
媒婆就像催化剂，化学催化剂的作用是减低活化能量。
in other words, by lowering the energy required to start a reaction.
换言之，就是减低诱发化学反应所需的能量。
They do this by bringing two particles together and orienting them correctly in space
目的在于让两个粒子碰头，导引它们正确的方位，
so that the two can meet at the correct configuration and allow a reaction to take place.
让它们在正确的结构配置下接触并产生化学反应。
So, to sum up: if a future chemist wants a date for the dance,
结论是：如果有化学家想找舞伴，
he must collide with another person and knock the books out of their hands.
他必须和另一人相撞并把他的书撞掉。
And if a chemist wants to make a chemical reaction occur,
如果化学家要制造化学反应，
the particles must collide in the correct orientation with an appropriate amount of energy.
粒子相撞的方位要正确，且要有适当的能量。
And both of these processes can be accelerated, using the five methods I've described.
要加速以上两个过程，我说的五个方法都适用。