National Mathematics Day: A celebration of Srinivasa Ramanujan

As we celebrate National Mathematics Day on 22 December, we look at the life of the Mathematics genius from Madras. (as it was known earlier).

But the story of the mathematician didn’t begin in Madras, it began in Kumbakonam, where he grew up. Ramanujan was always brilliant in studies by fifth grade, he was the brightest student in the district, excelling in mathematics, English, and History. At Kumbakonam Town High School, where he studied, Ramanujan tutored senior students and questioned even teachers in complicated mathematics theories

Students from other nearby towns used to come and stay at his humble home, giving the family some rent, helping them not only financially but also gave Ramanujan more insight into the world of mathematics. One of these boarders once gave him a book on Trigonometry, which he mastered in no time. He was soon hooked on to another book, An Elementary Synopsis of Pure and Applied Mathematics, which had 5,000 theorems. People believe that it was this book that triggered his genius.

In 1910, during a meeting with the founder of the Indian Mathematical Society, V. Ramaswamy Aiyer, Ramanujan began to get recognition in Madras's mathematical circles, leading to his inclusion as a researcher at the University of Madras.

Life in England

On the recommendations of  English mathematician, G. H. Hardy, Ramanujan spent nearly five years in Cambridge collaborating with other mathematicians and published part of his findings there. Ramanujan was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree by research for his work on highly composite numbers, the first part of which was published as a paper in the Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society. Later he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. At age 31 Ramanujan was one of the youngest Fellows in the history of the Royal Society. On 13 October 1918, he was the first Indian to be elected a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge.

Illness and death

Ramanujan was plagued by health problems throughout his life. He was diagnosed with tuberculosis and severe vitamin deficiency. In 1919 he returned to Kumbakonam and in 1920 he died at the age of 32.

Mathematical achievements

During his short life, Ramanujan independently compiled nearly 3,900 results and some of them are the most important discoveries in mathematics.

• Landau-Ramanujan constant
• Mock theta functions
• Ramanujan conjecture
• Ramanujan prime
• Ramanujan-Soldner constant
• Ramanujan theta function
• Ramanujan's sum
• Rogers-Ramanujan identities
• Ramanujan's master theorem