Srinivasa Aiyangar Ramanujan Biography

Srinivasa Aiyengar Ramanujan was a self-taught Indian mathematician, widely regarded as one of the greatest mathematical minds in history. Ramanujan was born on December 22, 1887, in Erode, Tamil Nadu, India. Ramanujan displayed a natural talent for mathematics from a very young age, despite having limited formal education in the subject.

Early Life:

Due to his family's poverty and his exclusive passion for mathematics, Ramanujan had limited access to formal education and neglected other subjects. Through self-directed study of increasingly complex mathematical texts, he quickly began developing his own original theorems and formulas.

Mathematical brilliance:

Ramanujan independently formulated thousands of original mathematical results, including innovative theorems in number theory, infinite series, and continued fractions, demonstrating his remarkable genius and laying the foundation for his later groundbreaking contributions.

Collaboration with G. H. Hardy:

In 1913, Ramanujan wrote a letter to G. H. Hardy, a famous mathematician at Cambridge University, sharing some of his mathematical work. Hardy was amazed by Ramanujan’s talent and invited him to England. Ramanujan arrived at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1914, where he worked closely with Hardy and another mathematician, J.E. Littlewood.

Together, they made important discoveries in number theory, such as the famous number 1729, known as the Ramanujan-Hardy number, theory of partitions, infinite series and elliptic functions. Ramanujan’s ideas helped improve methods used in advanced mathematics, especially a technique called the circle method.

Health and Challenges:

Even though Ramanujan faced health problems and cultural differences in England, he did a lot of great work during his time there. In 1918, he was honored with a Fellowship of the Royal Society, one of the highest recognitions for a scientist in the UK. His time at Cambridge helped secure his place in history as a brilliant mathematician.

Return to India:

In 1919, after Ramanujan’s health began to fail, he returned to India. Despite his poor health, he continued working on mathematics, developing new concepts like mock theta functions. He died on April 26, 1920, in Kumbakonam at 32, leaving a lasting math legacy.

Impact and Legacy:

Srinivasa Ramanujan’s work revolutionized number theory, combinatorics, and mathematical physics. His work continues to inspire mathematicians and has found applications in diverse fields like string theory and black hole physics. In India, December 22 is celebrated as National Mathematics Day in his honor, recognizing his profound contributions and perseverance despite immense challenges. A symbol of pure genius, his life inspired the book and film The Man Who Knew Infinity. Ramanujan’s discoveries continue to influence mathematicians worldwide, cementing his legacy as one of history’s greatest mathematical minds.