Ramanujan

Ramanujan

Srinivasa Ramanujan, an eminent mathematician, was born in 1887 in the Southern region of India. Ramanujan enduring legacy in the realm of mathematics continues to captivate scholars and learners worldwide. The theorems Ramanujan formulated remain integral to contemporary mathematical studies, transcending time and geography. Within an astoundingly brief lifespan, Ramanujan's mathematical revelations left an indelible mark on the field.

Ramanujan The Indian Mathematician – A Life Retold

Early Life and Education Ramanujan was born in the quaint village of Erode, nestled approximately 400 kilometers southwest of Madras, now known as Chennai. His journey into the world of mathematics began in his formative years when he was just a year old. His mother relocated to Kumbakonam, a town about 160 kilometers closer to Madras, where his father worked as a clerk in a cloth merchant's shop. However, destiny had other plans for young Ramanujan. In December 1889, he contracted smallpox, which marked the first twist in his remarkable life.

The Scholar Emerges

As he approached the age of five, Ramanujan embarked on his academic journey, starting at a primary school in Kumbakonam. His brilliance shone brightly across all subjects, establishing him as an exceptional scholar. In the year 1900, he initiated his independent exploration of mathematics, delving into the realms of geometric and arithmetic series.

Self-Taught Prodigy

In 1902, Ramanujan was introduced to the world of cubic equations, and soon, he discovered his own method to tackle quartic equations. The following year, he dared to tackle the quintic, unaware that it could not be solved by radicals. His insatiable thirst for knowledge and unique problem-solving skills set him on an unparalleled trajectory.

A Fateful Encounter

It was during his tenure at the Town High School in Kumbakonam that Ramanujan stumbled upon a pivotal mathematics book, "Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure Mathematics" by G.S. Carr. This book, though outdated by contemporary standards (published in 1886), became his gateway to mastering mathematics. Carr's book offered theorems, formulae, and concise proofs, setting the template for Ramanujan's future mathematical expressions

Into the Depths of Research

By 1904, Ramanujan had ventured into deep research. He embarked on a journey to comprehend the series ∑(1/n!) and remarkably calculated Euler's constant to 15 decimal places. Simultaneously, he explored the intricate world of Bernoulli numbers, charting his own path of mathematical discovery.

The Scholarship Lost

Ramanujan's remarkable schoolwork earned him a scholarship to Government College in Kumbakonam in 1904. However, the subsequent year brought a bitter twist of fate as his scholarship was not renewed due to his unwavering dedication to mathematics, at the expense of his other subjects. Financial hardships loomed large, prompting Ramanujan to make a daring decision.

The Escape to Pursue Passion

Without disclosing his intentions to his parents, Ramanujan left for the town of Vizagapatnam, approximately 650 kilometers north of Madras. Here, he continued his relentless pursuit of mathematics. During this period, he delved into hypergeometric series and explored the intricate connections between integrals and series, unknowingly edging closer to the study of elliptic functions

For more info: https://www.cfalindia.com/ramanujan/