Yang Zhenning: a discovery needs a team and evidence

杨振宁的研究属于现代物理领域。

yáng zhèn níng de yán jiū shǔ yú xiàn dài wù lǐ lǐng yù。

Yang Chen-Ning's research belongs to the field of modern physics.

科学理论需要提出能够接受检验的解释。

kē xué lǐ lùn xū yào tí chū néng gòu jiē shòu jiǎn yàn de jiě shì。

A scientific theory should offer explanations that can be tested.

实验结果可以支持、修正或挑战一种理论。

shí yàn jié guǒ kě yǐ zhī chí、 xiū zhèng huò tiǎo zhàn yì zhǒng lǐ lùn。

Experimental results can support, revise or challenge a theory.

杨振宁和李政道的合作产生了重要研究成果。

yáng zhèn níng hé lǐ zhèng dào de hé zuò chǎn shēng le zhòng yào yán jiū chéng guǒ。

The collaboration between Yang Chen-Ning and Tsung-Dao Lee produced important research results.

两位科学家因相关理论研究共同获得诺贝尔奖。

liǎng wèi kē xué jiā yīn xiāng guān lǐ lùn yán jiū gòng tóng huò dé nuò bèi ěr jiǎng。

The two scientists jointly received a Nobel Prize for the related theoretical research.

评价科学贡献要说明具体成果和证据。

píng jià kē xué gòng xiàn yào shuō míng jù tǐ chéng guǒ hé zhèng jù。

Evaluating a scientific contribution requires identifying the specific results and evidence.

杨振宁和李政道是物理学家。一九五七年，两人共同获得诺贝尔物理学奖。他们提出的重要问题，推动了人们对微观世界的认识。

yáng zhèn níng hé lǐ zhèng dào shì wù lǐ xué jiā。 yī jiǔ wǔ qī nián， liǎng rén gòng tóng huò dé nuò bèi ěr wù lǐ xué jiǎng。 tā men tí chū de zhòng yào wèn tí， tuī dòng le rén men duì wēi guān shì jiè de rèn shi。

Yang Chen-Ning and Tsung-Dao Lee were physicists who jointly received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957. Their important question advanced understanding of the microscopic world.

平常把左手和右手放在一起，会发现它们像镜中的一对形状。镜中左手的形状像右手，右手的形状像左手，这种关系常被用来帮助人们想象对称。

píng cháng bǎ zuǒ shǒu hé yòu shǒu fàng zài yì qǐ， huì fā xiàn tā men xiàng jìng zhōng de yī duì xíng zhuàng。 jìng zhōng zuǒ shǒu de xíng zhuàng xiàng yòu shǒu， yòu shǒu de xíng zhuàng xiàng zuǒ shǒu， zhè zhǒng guān xì cháng bèi yòng lái bāng zhù rén men xiǎng xiàng duì chèn。

Left and right hands form a mirror pair: the reflection of a left hand resembles a right hand and vice versa. This comparison can help introduce symmetry.

物理学家曾广泛接受一种看法，认为自然规律在左右镜像的情况下保持相同。杨振宁和李政道重新检查已有的研究，问：在某些微观过程里，这个看法也一定成立吗？

wù lǐ xué jiā céng guǎng fàn jiē shòu yì zhǒng kàn fǎ， rèn wéi zì rán guī lǜ zài zuǒ yòu jìng xiàng de qíng kuàng xià bǎo chí xiāng tóng。 yáng zhèn níng hé lǐ zhèng dào chóng xīn jiǎn chá yǐ yǒu de yán jiū， wèn： zài mǒu xiē wēi guān guò chéng lǐ， zhè ge kàn fǎ yě yí dìng chéng lì ma？

Physicists had widely accepted that physical laws stayed the same under a mirror reflection. Yang and Lee re-examined existing research and asked whether this necessarily held for certain microscopic processes.

他们没有只停留在怀疑，而是提出能够进行实验检验的方向。问题从一个习惯的判断，变成了需要用实际结果回答的研究任务。

tā men méi yǒu zhǐ tíng liú zài huái yí， ér shì tí chū néng gòu jìn xíng shí yàn jiǎn yàn de fāng xiàng。 wèn tí cóng yí ge xí guàn de pàn duàn， biàn chéng le xū yào yòng shí jì jié guǒ huí dá de yán jiū rèn wù。

Rather than merely expressing doubt, they proposed ways to test it experimentally. A familiar assumption became a research question that required observed results.

有些现象与原来的预想不符，研究者便重新核对，而不是把不合预想的结果藏起来。一个旧问题，因此打开了新的研究方向。

yǒu xiē xiàn xiàng yǔ yuán lái de yù xiǎng bù fú， yán jiū zhě biàn chóng xīn hé duì， ér bú shì bǎ bù hé yù xiǎng de jié guǒ cáng qǐ lai。 yí ge jiù wèn tí， yīn cǐ dǎ kāi le xīn de yán jiū fāng xiàng。

When observations differed from expectations, researchers checked them rather than hiding them, opening new directions from an old question.

吴健雄和合作者进行实验，获得了关键结果。在他们研究的弱相互作用过程中，镜面对称的想法并不成立。理论提出的问题，因此得到了实验的检验。

wú jiàn xióng hé hé zuò zhě jìn xíng shí yàn， huò dé le guān jiàn jié guǒ。 zài tā men yán jiū de ruò xiāng hù zuò yòng guò chéng zhōng， jìng miàn duì chèn de xiǎng fǎ bìng bù chéng lì。 lǐ lùn tí chū de wèn tí， yīn cǐ dé dào le shí yàn de jiǎn yàn。

Chien-Shiung Wu and her collaborators obtained crucial experimental results. Mirror symmetry did not hold in the weak-interaction process they studied, providing an experimental test of the theoretical question.

这一发现影响很大，也说明微观世界有些特点不能单靠日常经验猜出来。研究者需要清楚地说明条件，使用合适的实验，并认真检查得到的结果。

zhè yī fā xiàn yǐng xiǎng hěn dà， yě shuō míng wēi guān shì jiè yǒu xiē tè diǎn bù néng dān kào rì cháng jīng yàn cāi chū lái。 yán jiū zhě xū yào qīng chu dì shuō míng tiáo jiàn， shǐ yòng hé shì de shí yàn， bìng rèn zhēn jiǎn chá dé dào de jié guǒ。

The discovery had major consequences and showed that some microscopic properties cannot be guessed from everyday experience. Researchers must state conditions clearly, use suitable experiments and examine the results.

诺贝尔奖使更多人认识了杨振宁和李政道。科学史中也留下吴健雄及合作者的重要贡献：一个问题的提出，与检验这个问题的工作，一起改变了人们原来的认识。

nuò bèi ěr jiǎng shǐ gèng duō rén rèn shi le yáng zhèn níng hé lǐ zhèng dào。 kē xué shǐ zhōng yě liú xià wú jiàn xióng jí hé zuò zhě de zhòng yào gòng xiàn： yí ge wèn tí de tí chū， yǔ jiǎn yàn zhè ge wèn tí de gōng zuò， yì qǐ gǎi biàn le rén men yuán lái de rèn shi。

The prize brought Yang and Lee to wider attention. The history of science also records Wu and her collaborators' contribution: asking a question and testing it together changed previous understanding.

A 教材中的奖项由谁共同获得？

jiào cái zhōng de jiǎng xiàng yóu shuí gòng tóng huò dé？

Who jointly received the award in the textbook?

B 杨振宁和李政道共同获得。

yáng zhèn níng hé lǐ zhèng dào gòng tóng huò dé。

Yang Zhenning and Lee Tsung-Dao.

A 理论和实验有什么联系？

lǐ lùn hé shí yàn yǒu shén me lián xì？

How are theory and experiment related?

B 理论提出解释和问题，实验提供检验的证据。

lǐ lùn tí chū jiě shì hé wèn tí， shí yàn tí gōng jiǎn yàn de zhèng jù。

Theory proposes explanations and questions; experiments provide evidence for testing.

A 介绍研究时还要注意谁？

jiè shào yán jiū shí hái yào zhù yì shuí？

Who else should an account recognise?

B 相关实验者和合作者，不能忽略贡献。

xiāng guān shí yàn zhě hé hé zuò zhě， bù néng hū lüè gòng xiàn。

Relevant experimenters and collaborators, without overlooking their contributions.