Lokho Ihlo Lenyama Elingeke Likubone
KUNEZINHLAYIYANA zenhlabathi ezincane emoyeni ezingabonakali. Kodwa nakhu sekuvela umsebe wokukhanya kwelanga efasiteleni, futhi lokho obekungabonakali sekuyabonakala. Lo msebe wokukhanya ohlabayo uveza obala izinhlayiyana ukuze ihlo lomuntu lizibone.
Cabanga futhi ngokukhanya okubonakalayo, okubonakala kumhlophe noma kungenambala emehlweni omuntu. Kwenzekani lapho ukukhanya kwelanga okutsheke ngendlela efanele kukhanyisa amaconsi amanzi? Amanzi aba njengengilazi ewunxantathu futhi sibona uthingo lwemibala emihle!
Empeleni, izinto ezisizungezile zibonisa amabanga ahlukahlukene aphakathi kwamaza okukhanya lawo amehlo ethu awabona njengombala. Ngokwesibonelo, utshani obuluhlaza, bona ngokwabo abukhiqizi ukukhanya okuluhlaza, kodwa kunalokho bumunca wonke amabanga aphakathi kwamaza okukhanya okubonakalayo ngaphandle kokuluhlaza. Utshani bubuyisela ibanga eliphakathi kwamaza okukhanya okuluhlaza emehlweni ethu. Ngakho-ke, emehlweni ethu utshani bubonakala buluhlaza.
Ukusizwa Amathuluzi Enziwe Umuntu
Eminyakeni yamuva izinto eziningi esingaziboni ngamehlo ethu enyama sesiyakwazi ukuzibona ngezinto zanamuhla ezisunguliwe. Singabuka ngesibonakhulu esivamile econsini lamanzi elibonakala lingenalutho oluphilayo bese sithola ukuthi ligcwele zonke izinhlobo zezidalwa ezinyakazayo. Futhi umucu wonwele, othi uma uwubuka uwubone ushelela futhi uqondile, ubonakala umaholoholo futhi umagwincigwinci. Izibonakhulu ezinamandla kakhulu zingakhulisa into izikhathi eziyisigidi, okufana nokukhulisa isitembu sokuposa silingane nezwe elincane!
Manje ngenxa yokusetshenziswa kwezibonakhulu ezinamandla ngisho nakakhulu, abacwaningi bathola isithombe esibonisa ingaphezulu le-athomu. Lokhu kubenza babone lokho umuntu abengeke akwazi ukukubona kuze kube muva nje.
Ngakolunye uhlangothi, singase sibheke phezulu esibhakabhakeni ebusuku sibone izinkanyezi. Zingaki? Ngamehlo enyama, cishe ziyizinkulungwane ezimbalwa. Kodwa ngokusungulwa kwesibonakude cishe eminyakeni engu-400 edlule, abantu baqala ukubona ezinye eziningi. Kwase kuthi ngawo-1920, isibonakude esinamandla eSikhungweni Sokuhlola eNtabeni iWilson sembula ukuthi kuneminye imithala ngaphandle kowethu nokuthi nayo inenqwaba yezinkanyezi ezingenakubalwa. Namuhla, ososayensi besebenzisa izinto zokuhlola umkhathi eziyinkimbinkimbi ezenziwe umuntu, balinganisela ukuthi kukhona amashumi ezigidi zezigidi zemithala, eminingi yayo enamakhulu ezigidi zezigidi zezinkanyezi!
Kuyamangaza ngempela ukuthi izibonakude ziye zembula ukuthi izigidi zezigidi zezinkanyezi, ezibonakala njengeMilky Way ngenxa yokubonakala zisondelene kakhulu, ziqhelelene ngamabanga amakhulu ngendlela esingenakuyiqonda. Ngokufanayo, izibonakhulu ezinamandla ziye zasiza ihlo lenyama ukubona ukuthi izinto ezibonakala ziqinile, empeleni zenziwe ngama-athomu, ngokuyinhloko enziwe yindawo engenalutho.
Okuncane Kakhulu
Into encane kakhulu engabonakala ngesibonakhulu esivamile yenziwe izigidi eziyizinkulungwane eziyishumi zama-athomu! Nokho, ngo-1897 kwatholakala ukuthi i-athomu inezinhlayiyana ezincane ezizungezayo ezibizwa ngokuthi ama-electron. Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, kwatholakala ukuthi i-nucleus ye-athomu, ezungezwa ama-electron, inezinhlayiya ezinkudlwana—ama-neutron nama-proton. Izinhlobo ezingu-88 zama-athomu, noma izakhi, eziba khona ngokwemvelo emhlabeni ngokuyinhloko ziyalingana, kodwa ziyashiyana ngesisindo ngoba ngayinye inenani elikhulu elandayo lalezi zinhlobo ezintathu zezinhlayiya eziyisisekelo.
Ama-electron—i-electon eyodwa uma kuyi-athomu ye-hydrogen—ashwibeka emkhathini azungeze i-nucleus ye-athomu izikhathi eziyizigidi eziyizinkulungwane njalo ngengxenye eyodwa kweziyisigidi yomzuzwana, ngaleyo ndlela enza i-athomu ime ngendlela eme ngayo futhi enze kube sengathi iqinile. Kungadingeka cishe ama-electron angu-1 840 ukuze alingane nesisindo se-proton noma i-neutron. Kokubili i-proton ne-neutron kuncane ngokuphindwe izikhathi ezingu-100 000 kune-athomu ngokwayo!
Ukuze uthole umbono wokuthi i-athomu ayinalutho kangakanani, zama ukubona ngehlo lengqondo i-nucleus ye-athomu ye-hydrogen uyiqhathanise ne-electron ezungeza i-athomu. Uma leyo nucleus ene-proton eyodwa, ibilingana nebhola lomphebezo i-electron yayo ezungezayo ibingaqhela ngebanga elingaba amakhilomitha amathathu!
Umbiko wokugujwa kweminyaka eyikhulu kwatholakala i-electron waphawula: “Abanye bayangabaza ukugubha umkhosi wento engazange ibonwe muntu, ubungako bayo obungaqondakali kodwa enesisindo esiyinqaba, enogesi othile—futhi eshwileka njengethophi. . . . Namuhla akekho umuntu okungabazayo ukuthi izinto esingenakukwazi ukuzibona zikhona.”
Ngisho Nezinto Ezincane
Imishini yokushwila ama-athomu, ekwazi ukushwila izinhlayiya zento kwezinye, manje yenza ososayensi bakwazi ukubona ngaphakathi kuyi-nucleus ye-athomu. Ngenxa yalokho, sekubhalwe ngezinhlayiyana eziningi ezinamagama ayinqaba—ama-positron, photon, meson, quark nama-gluon, ukusho ezimbalwa nje. Zonke azibonakali, ngisho nangezibonakhulu ezinamandla kakhulu. Kodwa ngamathuluzi anjengama-cloud nama-bubble chamber kanye nama-scintillation counter, sekutholakele ukuthi zikhona.
Abacwaningi manje sebeyakwazi ukubona lokho okwakungabonakali kuqala. Njengoba sebenza kanjalo, manje sebeyakuqonda ukubaluleka kwalokho abakholelwa ukuthi izinhlobo ezine zamandla ayisisekelo—amandla adonsela phansi, amandla kazibuthe nezinhlobo ezimbili zamandla angaphansi kwawenuzi abizwa ngokuthi “amandla abuthakathaka” kanye “namandla aqinile.” Abanye ososayensi baphishekela ukufuna lokho okubizwa ngokuthi “inkolelo-mbono yayo yonke into,” abanethemba lokuthi izonikeza incazelo eqondakalayo ngomkhathi, kusukela kokukhulu kakhulu kuya kokuncane kakhulu.
Yiziphi izifundo ezingafundwa ngokubona lokho ihlo lenyama elingenakukubona? Futhi ngokusekelwe kulokho abakufundile, yiziphi iziphetho abaningi abaye bafinyelela kuzo? Lezi zihloko ezilandelayo zizonikeza izimpendulo.
[Izithombe ekhasini 3]
Imifanekiso yama-athomu e-“nickel” (ngaphezulu) nama-athomu e-“platinum”
[Umthombo]
Courtesy IBM Corporation, Research Division, Almaden Research Center