Have you noticed a lot of puns and pies being served up today, often in tandem?

　　你有没有注意到今天不止一个谐音双关语和派联系到了一块?

　　Of course you have — it’s National Pi Day, the one calendar day of the year that appeals to both math nerds and food geeks alike.

　　必须得注意到啊——毕竟这是美国举国欢庆的节日，是基于月和日的数字的节日，既吸引着数学爱好者，也吸引了美食爱好者。

　　But, if you woke up this morning assuming that today was just another Monday, and didn’t expect to be bombarded with geometry jokes at every turn, you might very well be wondering: what is Pi Day, and when is it going to be over?

　　当然也有可能今天一大早醒来，被节日气氛和π节段子手轰炸包围的你三脸懵哔。那么问题来了：什么是π节，这个节日持续多久?

　　Relax.

　　淡定，听我慢慢道来。

　　Even if you don’t care a single ounce about irrational numbers, I’m willing to bet that you do care about pie — so grab a slice, and then let’s chat about why this holiday is way more exciting than you think.

　　就算你对无理数不感兴趣，对Pie总该无法拒绝吧——所以，来一块Pie，然后让我们边吃边聊为什么这个节日比你想象的更让人鸡冻。

　　You don’t have to be a math genius to figure out why National Pi Day is celebrated on March 14.

　　其实，就算你不是数学天才，也不难明白为什么在3月14日庆祝“国家圆周率日”。

　　The calendar day 3/14 just so happens to include the first three significant digits of Pi — or, the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter.

　　3月14日这天刚好包含Pi的前三个重要数字——即圆的周长与直径之比。

　　Generally speaking, fans of both Pi and pie use this opportunity to bring the world’s attention to what it is that they love the most, whether that’s dessert or digits.

　　一般来说，π和pie的粉丝都利用这个机会向全世界安利他们最喜欢的东西，无论是甜点pie还是数字π。

　　Either way, the holiday is a fun opportunity for everybody to brush up on their middle school geometry notes, while trying to solve the hardest question of them all: apple, or cherry?

　　不管怎样，这个节日对于每个人来说都是一个有趣的机会，可以温习一下中学几何笔记，同时也可以试着解决这个节日最重要的终极哲学命题：到底来块苹果派，还是来块樱桃派?

　　Here are six facts about National Pi Day you didn’t know.

　　以下是6个你不知道的关于π节的那些事儿。

　　1

　　1

　　Pi is an infinite and irrational number

　　π是一个无理数

　　That’s right, there’s no end in sight.

　　没错，一个穷极一生看不到尽头的数字。

　　That being said, we have been able to calculate more than a trillion of Pi’s digits — but there’s way more where that came from.

　　也就是说，就算我们已经能够计算出Pi小数点后的一万亿个数字，也还是看不到这个数字的最后一位。

　　2

　　2

　　Although Pi has been around forever, National Pi Day is fairly new

　　虽然圆周率早就存在了，但是作为一个节日，π节的年龄并不大。

　　It was first established in 1988 by physicist Larry Shaw.

　　它最早是由物理学家Larry Shaw于1988年创立的。

　　Pi Day as a holiday is only 28 years old.

　　π节还是一个只有28岁的宝宝。

　　3

　　3

　　Pi Day is officially recognized by Congress

　　π节是得到美国国会正式认可的

　　In 2009, Congress passed a non-binding resolution to make March 14 permanently Pi Day.

　　2009年，国会通过了一项不具约束力的决议，决定此后将3月14日定为“π节”。

　　One of the reasons cited for passing National Pi Day was the need to "reinforce mathematics and science education for all students in order to better prepare our children for the future."

　　其中一个官方原因是为了让学生们更好地为未来做好准备，“让所有学生加强数学和科学教育”是有必要的。

　　So, take this opportunity to teach someone something today.

　　所以，今天就抓住这个机会显摆下自己的学霸内核吧。

　　4

　　4

　　There’s also a Pi Approximation Day

　　还有一个Pi Day的姊妹节

　　It’s on July 22, or 7/22.

　　定在7月22日，也就是7/22。

　　Why?

　　为啥是这一天?

　　Flip the order of those numbers around, and you have 22/7, which just so happens to be the fraction equivalent of Pi.

　　把分子分母颠倒一下，就是22/7，它恰好是圆周率的分数形式。

　　Mind blown.

　　哈哈!没想到吧~

　　5

　　5

　　You should absolutely celebrate with pie

　　庆祝π节当然少不了Pie啦

　　These aren’t my instructions (although I am strongly in agreement).

　　这个节日建议不只是我的个人意思(尽管我双手双脚赞成)，

　　These orders come from the American Pie Council, which actually takes Pi Day pretty seriously.

　　而是来自美国Pie协会。对待这个节日，他们可是十分严肃滴。

　　Check out its website for celebration ideas, pie recipes, and even a brief history of pie.

　　看看这个馅饼协会的官网，看看它的庆祝理念，馅饼食谱，甚至是馅饼的简史。

　　You’re going to want some dessert to help wash down all that math, after all.

　　毕竟，这个节日需要一些甜点来淡化被数学包围的恐惧。

　　6

　　6

　　More importantly, celebrate with apple pie

　　更重要的是，要用苹果派来庆祝

　　According to the American Pie Council, there are more than 230 varieties of apple pie?to be experienced on this planet.

　　据美国馅饼协会称，在这个星球上有超过230种苹果派。

　　That finite number may seem small in scale and insignificant next to Pi, but still... 230 varieties of apple pie.

　　这个有限的数字比起无理数π简直微乎其微，但是!230种苹果派啊，难道不觉得已经多到让人瑟瑟发抖吗?

　　But for now, let’s focus on what’s important... pie.

　　OK，闲话少叙，让我们在π节开始愉快地来块Pie吧~