时差N小时:箱子底部的玉米薄片为什么不会被压碎(下)

　　The friction between the flakes is the same forcethat causes sand to form a pile rather than spreadout like a puddle. In fact, this same principleapplies to all granular materials. If you cut thecorner out of a bag of flour only a small amount willcome out. If the bag contained water, which has lowfriction, all of it would run out. Incidentally, thereare broken flakes and cereal “dust” in boxes, butthis is the result of shaking during shipping andhandling, not simply the weight of the upper flakeson the lower ones. The effect of friction is veryimportant in the cereal manufacturing process, which involves huge vats of flakes. Even inthose vats the friction-induced weight distribution keeps the bottom flakes from being turnedto dust, and allows whole flakes to tumble into our breakfast bowls.

　　薄片之间的摩擦力和使沙形成堆，而不是分散开形成水坑形状是一样的力量。事实上，这一原则同样适用于所有颗粒状物料。如果你砍了一袋面粉的一角球，只有少量面粉会流出来。如果用包装水，那样摩擦力很小，水都会流尽。顺便说一下，盒子里会有破损的薄片和谷物 “粉末”，但是这是在运输和装卸过程中摇晃的结果，而不是单纯的上部薄片压挤下面薄片的结果。摩擦的作用在薄皮生产过程中是非常重要的，它涉及到装薄皮的巨桶。即使在这些大桶中的摩擦引起的重量分布会避免使底部的薄皮变成粉末，使薄皮整片倒进我们的早餐碗中而不碎。

　　granular adj.由小粒而成的; 粒状的 incidentally adv.顺便说及地，顺便提一句 vat n. 大桶 tumble v.翻倒