Every month of the year there is always a special day to celebrate. Many are more likely to observe prominent celebrations for instance valentines day or thanksgiving day but there many more celebrations that are unheard of. Do you know that today is Mathematics day?
National Mathematics Day is celebrated annually on December 22. This day is observed for the legendary mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.
Leaving this world at the young age of 32, (1887-1920), the inspiring Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan contributed a great deal to mathematics that only a few could overtake in their lifetime. Ramanujan was a self-taught mathematician and one of the greatest Indian mathematicians of all time. Born and raised in Tamil Nadu, this intellectually powerful mathematician developed his liking for mathematics at a very young age.
Former Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh declared this day December 22 as National Mathematics Day to honor the life and achievements of Ramanujan across the mathematics field.
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Srinivasa Ramanujan Mathematics Contributions
Ramanujan compiled around 3,900 results consisting of equations and identities. One of his most treasured findings was his infinite series for pi.
Discovered a long list of new ideas to solve many challenging mathematical problems. Introduced the game theory which is purely based on intuition and natural talent that remains unrivaled to this day.
Elaborated the mock theta function which is known to be the realm of modular form in mathematics.
Notable contributions by Srinivasa Ramanujan include the hypergeometric series, the Riemann series, the elliptic integrals, the theory of divergent series, and the functional equations of the zeta function.
Did you know 1729 is known as the Ramanujan number?
It is the sum of the cubes of two numbers 10 and 9. For instance, 1729 results from adding 1000 (the cube of 10) and 729 (the cube of 9). This is the smallest number that can be expressed in two different ways as it is the sum of these two cubes. Interestingly, 1729 is a natural number following 1728 and preceding 1730.
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Going down the memory lane
Srinivasa Ramanujan was also born on December 22, 1887. At the age of 12, he received a scholarship to the Government Arts College in Kumbakonam. The great mathematician hated maths during his school days and was very bad at it.
Ramanujan then worked as a clerk at Madras Port Trust in 1912. It was then his life began to turn over when his mathematical genius was recognized by some of his colleagues and one of them referred him to Professor GH Hardy of Trinity College, Cambridge University.
In 1916, Ramanujan received his Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree. He went on to publish several papers on his subject with Hardy’s help. The two even collaborated on several joint projects.
Ramanujan was then elected to the London Mathematical Society in 1917 and then, later on, received the prestigious Royal Society for his research on Elliptic Functions and the theory of numbers. This made him the first Indian to be elected a Fellow of Trinity College.
The great mathematician made wonders with maths. However, he did not survive long due to his deteriorating health. Srinivasa Ramanujan was only 32 when he had his last breath. There is even a book and film in memory of him.
‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’ by Robert Kanigel is a biography that depicts his life and journey to fame.
A film of the same name was released in 2015 in which British-Indian actor Dev Patel played Ramanujan.
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If it wasn’t for Srinivasa Ramanujan there would have not been these amazing theories introduced. Let’s shed gratitude and celebrate mathematics day together.
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