新奇事件簿 数学家计算出最完美的咖啡（在线收听）

Mathematicians are using their analytical skills to understand what makes the perfect cup of coffee. It might seem odd that a team of mathematicians is trying to establish what is behind the perfect cup of coffee until you realize that coffee consists of over 1,800 chemical components. If you combine these with the different ways of brewing coffee, it makes sense because there are a lot of numbers involved. Mathematicians from universities in Ireland and England used some complex calculations to determine how to make an ideal cuppa. Researchers Dr William Lee and Dr Kevin Moroney focused on what happens to coffee as it passes through a variety of filter coffee machines.

数学家们使用他们的分析技能解析了怎样能制作出完美的咖啡。一些数学家竟然试图弄明白完美的咖啡是什么样的，这听上去有些奇怪，但是你要意识到咖啡由1800多种化学物质组成就不会这样认为了。再结合不同的冲泡方法，这就说的通了，因为其中涉及的数字非常多。来自爱尔兰和英格兰大学的数学家们使用了一些复杂的计算方法来确定怎样制作出理想的咖啡。研究人员William Lee和Kevin Moroney博士关注了咖啡经过不同的过滤式咖啡机时会发生什么。

The scientists hope their research will change the way coffee machines are made. Dr Lee told the BBC News: "Our overall idea is to have a complete mathematical model of coffee brewing that you could use to design coffee machines, rather like we use a theory of fluid and solid mechanics to design racing cars." In the near future, coffee lovers might be able to adjust many of the variables that affect the taste of the coffee as it is filtered and brewed. These include how hot the water is, how fast the water flows, the size coffee beans are ground into, the length of time it is brewed, and more. The research is published in the journal of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

科学家们希望他们的研究能够改变咖啡机的生产方式。Lee博士告诉BBC新闻：“我们的总体思路是制作出冲泡咖啡的完整数学模型，可以供你们设计咖啡机，而不是像用液体和固体力学却设计跑车那样。”在不久的将来，咖啡爱好者或许能够在过滤和冲泡过程中对不同的变量进行调整，影响咖啡的口味。包括水的温度，水流速度，咖啡豆的粉碎程度，冲泡的时间长短以及更多因素。这项研究发表在工业和应用数学学会期刊上。