π看人生

⊙ By Ephrat Livni

翻译：赵菲菲

你知道圆周率日（Pi Day）吗？每年的3月14日，不少人会在15点9分举行庆祝活动——有时甚至精确到26秒！在普通人眼中，π也许只是一个数学符号；但是在有心人看来，这个无穷无尽的数列当中其实蕴含着丰富的哲理……

You probably first met pi—the number used to calculate the circumference[圆周]of a circle—when you were in school. If you aren’t really a math fan, you probably haven’t thought about it since then. But pi has practical applications for everyone as a real tool to better understand the universe and life itself.

Numerically[数字上], pi is 3.14159, plus some. That added bit—the plus some—continuesinfinitely[无限地], a series of digits that never stop in a numbersequence[序列]that doesn’t repeat, ever. In that infinite repetition lies pi’s greatest lesson.

Computers have calculated pi to thetrillions[万亿]of digits. But pi isn’t really solved and doesn’t appear to be solvable.Pi is wonderful precisely[正好]because it can only ever be understood theoretically, never actually grasped in itsentirety[全部]. The lack of solution can be ademonstration[证明]of a classicaxiom[格言]: The wisest among us know only how little we know.

The more we know, the more apparent it is that there is much more to know. For each individual, and for humanity as a whole,there is always that added bit that simply can’t be figured out, no matter how much information or education we possess.

Mysteries remain, always, and that can be a good thing. Like the digits of pi that have yet to be calculated andstretch[延伸]on

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阅读难度endlessly, it is proof that calculations could be imperfect. Things we can’t imagine could still happen, for better and for worse.

Life and the universe, like pi, don’t make perfect sense. We may have a very good idea of what is likely to occur under a certain set of circumstances, applying all the information we have at a given time, and we may attempt toinsure against[使免于]all unknowns.But mystery is aconstant[恒量], something containing infinite possibilities in our lives.That is what pi demonstrates so certainly.Math is our guide, but not our master. It cannot provide all the answers.

见招拆招

参考译文

你初次认识π大概是在上学的时候，这个数字是用来计算圆周的。如果没有数学爱好，恐怕你在那以后就没再想过它。但是，π其实对每个人都有很实际的用处，它能帮助我们更好地认识天地万物和生活本身。

π的数值为3.14159，后面还有一些东西。那附加的一点点——也就是后面那些东西，是一长串无限不循环的数字。正是在这种无穷无尽之中，蕴含着π带给我们的一个最重要的道理。

计算机能算出π小数点后的万亿位。但是，π这个问题并没有真正解决，似乎也无法解决。它之所以绝妙，恰恰因为它只能在理论上理解，而无法真正被全部领会。这种无解的局面证明了一条经典的格言：我们当中最有智慧的人深知我们是多么无知。

我们知道得越多，就越明白我们还有更多不知道的东西。对每一个体乃至全人类而言，无论我们掌握多少信息，受过多高的教育，永远存在无法解开谜团的“附加的一点点”。

谜在，永远都在，这可能是件好事。就像π的那些还没有计算出来，并且无穷无尽的数字一样，它证明了算式也有可能不够完美，超乎我们想象的事情总有可能发生——不管是好事还是坏事。

就像π一样，生命和宇宙有时也会让人摸不着头脑。对于在某些条件下可能发生什么，我们或许抱有相当肯定的看法，利用限定时间内掌握的所有信息，试图防备一切的未知情况。但是，谜是一个恒量，蕴含着无限的人生可能性。这就是π向我们明确揭示的道理。数学能引导我们前行，却不能主宰我们的人生——它不能给你所有的答案。

Life and the universe, like pi, don’t make perfect sense.

无论是口语还是书面语，我们在各种不同的语境中经常会碰到make sense这个词组，它可以表示“讲得通，有意义”，也可以表示“合情合理，明智”，还可以搭配of表示“理解，弄懂”。要理解这个词组的准确意思，我们需要根据具体的上下文进行判断，如：

● A sentence must make sense.（句子必须有意义。）

● It makes sense to take care of your health.（注重健康实乃明智之举。）

● Can you make sense of what he says?（你能听懂他在说什么吗？）