an object is lit for a very brief time(less that 1/25 second), the human eye will not react
in time to see the object. A photographic emulsion---that is, a light-sensitive coating on photographic film, paper, or glass---will, however, record much shorter bursts of light. A
(5 ) photographic flash can therefore be used to capture high-speed movement on film as well
as to correct deficiencies of the normal surrounding lighting. Photoflash is now generated electronically, but the earliest form, first used in 1864, was a paper bag containing
magnesium wire and some oxygen-rich substance, such as potassium chlorate. When the
bag was ignited, the metal burned with an intense flash. A contemporary observer reported
(10) that “this quite unsafe device seems to have done nothing worse that engulf the room in
dense smoke and lead to pictures of dubious quality and odd poses.” The evolution of the photoflash was slow, flashbulbs, containing fine wire made of a
metal, such as magnesium or aluminum, capable of being ignited in an atmosphere of pure oxygen at low pressure, were introduced only in the 1920’s. In the earliest type, the metal
(15) was separated from the oxygen by a thin glass bulb. The flash was fired by piercing the
bulb and allowing the oxygen to come into contact with the metal, which ignited
spontaneously. Later bulbs were fired by an electric battery, which heated the wire by
passing a small current through it. Other combinations, such as the pairing of oxygen
difluoride with zirconium, have also been used. In each case enough energy is given out to
(20) heat the oxidizable metal momentarily to a white-hot emission of visible light. The smoke particles are so small that they cool rapidly; but since they are white, they contribute to the brilliance by reflecting the light from their still-glowing neighbors. A slightly bigger form
of the metal will burn for a longer time.
想問紅色字部分怎麼翻譯???
