菲尔兹奖获得者陶哲轩做爱因斯坦讲座：“测量宇宙距离的梯子”

（转自美国数学会网站）

2010年10月9日在加州大学洛杉矶分校，美国数学会举行了西区秋季会议。大约九百人聆听了菲尔兹奖获得者陶哲轩所做的爱因斯坦讲座：“测量宇宙距离的梯子”（见陶哲轩博客）。陶哲轩在讲座中向听众描述了人们如何获知从地球到太阳、月亮，从太阳到其他星球、星系的距离。确定这些距离尽管不能通过直接的物理的测量，但是有许多非直接的数学的方法。仅仅利用这些基于基础数学的方法，而不借助于现代高科技仪器和手段，就可以给出令人信服的准确的距离。这些数学方法就是借助于攀登“测量宇宙距离的梯子”，即通过测量和确定不远处物体的距离，来估算出稍远处物体的距离。

相关链接：美国数学会英文报道

2010 Einstein Lecture: "The Cosmic Distance Ladder," by Terence Tao

An overflow crowd of approximately 900 people saw Terence Tao's 2010 Einstein Lecture, "The Cosmic Distance Ladder," which took place October 9 as part of the AMS Fall Western Sectional meeting at UCLA. In addition to the audience in Schoenberg Hall, people watched in an overflow room and on a Jumbotron screen set up outside.

In the lecture, Tao addressed how we know the distances from the earth to the sun and moon, from the sun to the other planets, and from the sun to other stars and distant galaxies. These distances can't be measured directly, but there are many indirect methods of measurement, combined with basic mathematics, which can give convincing and accurate results without the need for advanced technology. These methods rely on climbing a "cosmic distance ladder," using measurements of nearby distances to deduce estimates on distances slightly farther away.

The AMS Einstein Public Lectures in Mathematics began in 2005 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Albert Einstein's annus mirabilis, when he published three fundamental papers that changed the course of twentieth-century physics. The lectures are given annually at one of the Society's eight sectional meetings and are supported by a gift from an anonymous donor.