One day, physicist Ho-Kei Chan of Trinity College Dublin was playing with steel ball bearings, trying to pack them into a little cylindrical tube in the most efficient way possible.

一天，都柏林大学圣三一学院的物理学家陈和奎正拿着一些铁珠玩耍，试图将他们以最有效的方法装进一个小的圆柱型管子里。

youdao

'Think of it like a good perfume, which can last all day and changes in quality when you wear it,' says Ms. Ho.

Ho女士说，你不妨把它想成一种上乘的香水，洒上之后可以保持一天，其间香气还会不停变换。

youdao

Lay around on the couch all day, sleeping and watching TV and eating Ho-Hos?

在沙发上趟一整天，睡觉、看电视、吃奶油饼干？

youdao