106 Plasma: The Fourth State-Mid

Plasma The Fourth State FOCUS Question How is plasma different from other states of matter?

等离子体第四个状态焦点问题等离子体与其他物质状态有什么不同?

Another State You eat solid foods every day. You drink liquid water, And you breathe air, which is a gas. Solids, liquids, and gases are states of matter. There is another state of— matter that you may not have heard of plasma? What is plasma Plasma is similar to gas. It has no specific shape. But plasma has more energy than gas. The particles that make up plasma each have an electrical charge. Some of the particles have a positive charge. Others have a negative charge. As a result, plasma can carry electricity.

你每天吃固体食物。 你喝液态水，你呼吸空气，空气是一种气体。 固体、液体和气体都是物质的状态。 还有另一种物质状态，你可能没有听说过等离子体? 什么是等离子体等离子体类似于气体。 它没有特定的形状。但是等离子体比气体有更多的能量。 组成等离子体的粒子都带有电荷。 有些粒子带正电荷。 其他的带负电荷。 因此，等离子体可以携带电能。

From Gas to Plasma Plasma forms when a lot of energy is added to a gas. That energy can come from different sources. Electrical energy can change a gas to plasma. So can ultraviolet light or some laser light. Heat energy can also change a gas to plasma. Any of these sources can give a charge to the particles of a gas. This charge makes the particles move really fast. But matter cannot stay in the plasma state without an energy source. When the source is turned off or runs out, the plasma becomes a gas again.

从气体到等离子体当大量的能量加入到气体中时，等离子体就形成了。 这种能量可以来自不同的来源。 电能能把气体变成等离子体。 紫外线或激光也可以。 热能也能把气体变成等离子体。 这些源中的任何一个都能给气体粒子带来电荷。 这种电荷使粒子移动得非常快。 但如果没有能量来源，物质就无法保持等离子态。 当源关闭或耗尽时，等离子体再次变成气体。

Plasma in the Atmosphere Lightning is a kind of plasma. During thunderstorms, negative charges build up at the bottom of clouds. They are drawn to positive charges in the ground. When the pull is strong enough, the negative charges move. They quickly go from the cloud to the ground. The gases in the air are changed into plasma. The plasma gives off the light we see. The northern and southern lights are called auroras They are another kind of plasma. Particles from the Sun reach Earth's poles. These particles collide with particles in the air and create energy. The light we see is plasma.

大气中的等离子体闪电是等离子体的一种。 在雷暴期间，负电荷在云的底部积聚。 它们被地面上的正电荷吸引。 当引力足够大时，负电荷就会移动。 他们很快就从云层飞到了地面。 空气中的气体变成等离子体。 等离子体发出我们所看到的光。 北极光和南极光被称为极光，它们是另一种等离子体。 来自太阳的粒子到达地球的两极。 这些粒子与空气中的粒子碰撞并产生能量。 我们看到的光是等离子体。

Plasma in Space Plasma is more common in outer space than on Earth. All the stars you see in the night sky are made of plasma. That means our Sun is also made of plasma. Much of the material between stars is also plasma. If you look closely at a picture of a comet, you'll see two tails. One of the tails is dust made of rock and ice. The other tail is plasma. Ultraviolet light from the Sun adds energy to gas molecules and charges them. This creates the glowing plasma tail. Wowser! Plasma makes up 99 percent of what we can see in the universe. This includes stars, nebulae and galaxies.

太空中的等离子体在太空中比在地球上更常见。 你在夜空中看到的所有恒星都是由等离子体构成的。 这意味着我们的太阳也是由等离子体组成的。 恒星之间的大部分物质也是等离子体。 如果你仔细观察彗星的照片，你会看到两条尾巴。 其中一条尾巴是由岩石和冰构成的尘埃。 另一条尾巴是等离子体。来自太阳的紫外线给气体分子增加能量并给它们充电。 这就产生了发光的等离子体尾巴。 老古板!我们在宇宙中看到的99%都是等离子体。 这包括恒星、星云和星系。

Plasma in Lights Back here on Earth people use plasma in several ways. Do you use fluorescent lights in your home? Have you seen a colorful neon sign? These two types of lightbulbs have gases inside them. The gases change to plasma when energy is added. Inside both kinds of bulbs, electricity gives the gas particles a charge. The particles start to zoom around in the tube. As the particles bump into one another, they give off light. The entire bulb glows.

在地球上，人们有多种方式使用等离子体。 你在家里用荧光灯吗? 你见过五颜六色的霓虹灯吗? 这两种灯泡里面都有气体。 当注入能量时，气体就变成等离子体。 在这两种灯泡内部，电给气体粒子充电。 粒子开始在管子里旋转。 当粒子相互碰撞时，它们会发光。 整个灯泡都在发光。