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Why don’t the cornflakes at the bottom of the box get crushed by the weight of the flakes on top? That’s the question on this Moment of Science. Research by mathematician Bruce Pitman of the State University of New York at Buffalo indicated there are two factors that protect the bottom flakes: their arrangement in the box, and friction. Some of the flakes bear the weight of several, some lean against neighbors, are wedged in between other flakes, their rough edges catch on adjacent flakes, or they’re pressed against the walls of the container. These interactions create friction between flakes, and between flakes and the wall. This friction allows each flake to partially support another. The interlocking of the flakes transfers the weight in several directions, with most of it ultimately ending up at the walls of the box rather than the bottom.
为什么没有在盒子底部的玉米片没有被顶部的玉米片压坏？这就是今天的科学问题。布法罗纽约州立大学的数学家布鲁斯皮特曼所做的研究表明，保护底部的玉米片有两个因素：他们安排在箱子中的排列和摩擦。一些薄片承担几个薄片的重要，一些薄片紧靠着旁边的薄片，是在其他片之间的楔形，有些挤出进其他的拨片中，粗糙的边缘和相邻的薄片接触，或是被容器壁挤压。这些相互作用增加了薄片之间的莫灿，以及薄片和容器壁之间的摩擦。这种摩擦让每个薄片有一部分支撑另一个。薄片环环相扣将重量向不同方向转移，其中大部分重量落在容器壁上，而不是容器底部。
cornflakes n.干玉米片 wedge v.挤进 adjacent adj.邻近的 interaction n. 交互作用
