Srinivasa Ramanujan, the Indian mathematician of the early twentieth century, whose remarkable contributions to number theory, continued fractions, and infinite series revolutionized the field of mathematics, is often regarded as a genius who worked in relative isolation.
His unique approach, driven by intuition and deep insight rather than formal training, led to the discovery of groundbreaking concepts, including the famous Ramanujan primes and the intriguing partition function.
Credit: Third Party Reference
Mathematicians across the globe are even today trying to prove or disprove many theorems left behind by him, delving into his extensive notebooks filled with original ideas and formulas that continue to inspire research. His legacy not only highlights the beauty of mathematics but also emphasizes the importance of diverse perspectives in advancing human knowledge.
While at Sainik School Amaravathinagar, we had Mr. Venkitesha Murthy (VM) teaching us mathematics in 1977 in Grade 11. He was a great fan of Srinivasa Ramanujan and had taken up extensive study of his works and life. The effort would have been really painstaking in those days (without internet and Google) to collect such enormous data, that too sitting in a remote village of Tamil Nadu, called Amaravathinagar.
In 1977, to mark the ninetieth birthday of Ramanujan, Mr. Murthy staged a one-hour play on his life and achievements. Veteran Commander Reginald was responsible for the light effects, and I did the sound effects. We both sat through many rehearsals, and the personality of Ramanujan left a deep impression on us. Teachers and students enacted different roles with Mr. Murthy as Ramanujan, leading from the teachers’ side and Ashok Kumar (now Vice Admiral) from the students’ side.
Credit: Third Party Reference
Mr. Murthy helped his students to be aware of the achievements of Ramanujan, when many in India (including my siblings) had not even heard of him. This post is based on some of the scenes from Mr. Murthy’s play. The announcement of the release of the movie ‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’ rekindled my thoughts about Ramanujan. I hope the movie will bring in significant awareness about a mathematical genius from India.
World-famous Mathematician Ramanujan was born in Erode in 1887 and studied in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, where his father was a clerk. He performed well in school and showed great talent in mathematics, learning about geometric and arithmetic series on his own.
With an excellent memory, he could recite pi to many decimal places. He found a book called ‘Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure Mathematics’ by GS Carr, which greatly influenced his early mathematical work, even though it was outdated since 1856.
In 1904, Ramanujan enrolled at the Government College in Kumbakonam but lost his scholarship the following year due to his focus on mathematics at the expense of other subjects. He later joined Pachaiyappa’s College in Chennai, where he only passed mathematics.
Credit: Third Party Reference
He continued to work independently on mathematics, relying primarily on Carr’s book for guidance. Ramanujan reportedly used a slate due to financial constraints, which may have led him to focus on results rather than proofs. He married S Janaki Ammal, who was ten years old, on 14 July 1909.
Ramanujan continued to develop his mathematical ideas and began to pose problems and solve problems in the Journal of the Indian Mathematical Society. He became well known among the mathematicians of the Madras area after he published a research paper on Bernoulli numbers in 1911 in the Journal of the Indian Mathematical Society.
In 1911, Ramanujan approached the founder of the Indian Mathematical Society for advice on a job. He got a temporary post in the Accountant General’s Office in Madras in 1912. Ramanujan later became a clerk in the accounts section of the Madras Port Trust.
In January 1913, Ramanujan wrote to Professor GH Hardy of Cambridge, having read his book ‘Orders of infinity.’ He had enclosed some unproven mathematical theorems and some proofs. Hardy, together with his colleague, Professor JE Littlewood, studied the theorems. It seems that Hardy initially thought him to be a crank or a prankster, as most of the 120 theorems had no proofs. Hardy replied to Ramanujan that he wanted proof for the theorems.
Ramanujan was pleased with Hardy’s response and wrote, “I’ve found a friend who understands my work. I am struggling to eat, and I need food to keep my mind sharp. Any supportive letter from you will help me secure a scholarship from the university or the government.”
Credit: Third Party Reference
Madras University gave Ramanujan a two-year scholarship in 1913. In 1914, Hardy invited him to Cambridge, starting an amazing partnership between a believer and an atheist, and between an educated genius and an uneducated one.
As a strict vegetarian and orthodox Brahmin, Ramanujan hesitated to travel abroad due to Hindu cultural taboos. He was persuaded by Professor EH Neville, a colleague of Hardy’s, who met Ramanujan during a lecture in India.
Hardy assigned Littlewood to teach Ramanujan pure mathematics, but Littlewood struggled as Ramanujan’s questions overwhelmed the classes. While World War I took Littlewood away, Hardy continued collaborating with Ramanujan, who suffered from illness exacerbated by the cold winter and a limited diet due to vegetable scarcity from the war.
Ramanujan attributed his mathematical abilities to Goddess Mahalakshmi-Namgiri, who he claimed appeared in his dreams, revealing answers to his mathematical puzzles, which he would write down upon waking.
On 16 March 1916, Ramanujan graduated from Cambridge with a Bachelor of Science by Research (the degree was called a Ph D from 1920). Ramanujan’s dissertation was on highly composite numbers and consisted of seven of his papers published in England.
Credit: Third Party Reference
Ramanujan fell seriously ill in 1917, and his doctors feared that he would die. Hardy went to see him when he was ill. On reaching Ramanujan’s bed, Hardy said that he rode a taxi cab with a dull number 1729. Ramanujan said that it is a very interesting number as it is the smallest number expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways 1729 = 13 + 123 = 93 + 103. Click here to read my earlier post ‘Arithmetic of Licence Plates’, inspired by this anecdote.
On 18 February 1918, Ramanujan was elected a fellow of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, marking a significant milestone in his illustrious academic journey. This prestigious recognition was a testament to his groundbreaking contributions to mathematics, which were beginning to gain wider attention.
Just three days later, he would receive the greatest honour of his career, as his name appeared on the list for election as a fellow of the Royal Society of London, an esteemed institution known for its rigorous selection of distinguished scholars.
Credit: Third Party Reference
This recognition was not only a personal triumph for Ramanujan but also an indication of the profound impact his work was having on the mathematical community. Finally, on 10 October 1918, he was elected a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, further solidifying his place among the great minds of his time.
This series of accolades highlighted his journey from humble beginnings to becoming one of the most celebrated mathematicians in history, showcasing his immense talent and dedication to the field. Ramanujan returned to India in 1919 and died the following year. His birthday, 22 December, is celebrated as the National Mathematics Day in India.
‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’: the movie has been released worldwide on 29 April 2016, captivating audiences globally with its powerful storytelling and compelling performances. This biographical drama, based on the life of the renowned Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, explores his journey from humble beginnings in India to becoming a significant figure in the world of mathematics at Cambridge University.
The film not only highlights his groundbreaking contributions to the field, but it also delves into the cultural challenges he faced and the deep bond he formed with his mentor, G.H. Hardy.
Reference: https://rejinces.net/2016/04/26/ramanujan/
