伊丽莎白女皇码头桥，澳大利亚珀斯 Elizabeth Quay Bridge in Perth, Australia (© Amazing Aerial Agency/Offset by Shutterstock)

伊丽莎白女皇码头桥，澳大利亚珀斯 Elizabeth Quay Bridge in Perth, Australia (© Amazing Aerial Agency/Offset by Shutterstock)

Bridge to infinity

Infinity Day has us visiting Perth, Australia, and the Elizabeth Quay Bridge. From this aerial view, the bridge closely resembles a tilted ∞, the common symbol for infinity first popularized in a 17th-century mathematical text. We recognize this unofficial holiday every August 8, because the number 8 resembles the infinity symbol, and the eighth day of the eighth month is an infinitely superior day to celebrate the infinite.

View this bridge from ground level and you'll quickly realize that the graceful figure-8 seen from above is something altogether different when viewed from below. The architects behind this bridge designed it to dramatically link the Swan River with the city. The upper left and bottom right curves seen in this image are actually double arches that loop up and then under a 360-foot pedestrian and bicycle pathway. This pathway offers striking views of Perth's central business district and links the area with the newly developed Elizabeth Quay mixed-use development, featuring shops, cafés, apartments, and bars. If you do ever have a chance to take a walk on this bridge, we recommend taking a moment to ponder the infinite, just like the mathematicians and philosophers of the 17th century did.

通向无限的桥梁

“无限日”让我们参观了澳大利亚的珀斯和伊丽莎白码头大桥。从鸟瞰图上看，这座桥非常像一座倾斜的桥∞, 无穷大的通用符号首次在17世纪的数学文本中普及。我们每年8月8日都会庆祝这个非官方的节日，因为数字8类似于无限的符号，而8月的第八天是庆祝无限的一个非常好的日子。

从地面上看这座桥，你会很快意识到从上面看到的优美的8号图形与从下面看到的完全不同。这座桥背后的建筑师将其设计成戏剧性地将天鹅河与城市连接起来。图中左上角和右下角的曲线实际上是双拱门，在一条360英尺长的人行道和自行车道下循环。这条小路可以看到珀斯中央商务区的醒目景色，并将该地区与新开发的伊丽莎白码头（Elizabeth Quay）混合用途开发区连接起来，以商店、咖啡馆、公寓和酒吧为特色。如果你有机会在这座桥上散步，我们建议你花点时间思考一下无限，就像17世纪的数学家和哲学家那样。