National Mathematics Day 2024: Today is the 137th birth anniversary of the great mathematician Srinivas Ramanujan. The Government of India has declared 22 December as National Mathematics Day in his memory. Ramanujan died at the age of 32. By his young age, he had given more than 3900 mathematical formulas to the world, which are still used in mathematical research and technology. His most famous and practically used formula is related to pi (π).
Ramanujan’s formula for pi (π)
Ramanujan gave many infinite series for π. One of the famous series among them is:
Features of this formula
- It is extremely fast and accurate for calculating π.
- The number of times the series is used in its calculation, the correct value of π will be obtained up to more decimal places.
- This formula has been used by modern computers to calculate π to billions of decimal places.
Birth of Srinivas Ramanujan
Srinivasa Ramanujan was born on 22 December 1887 at a place called Erode in Tamil Nadu. His family was financially weak, but his interest in mathematics was deep since childhood. Ramanujan developed amazing knowledge and abilities in mathematics without any formal training. When he was 12 years old, he had mastered trigonometry and developed many theorems on his own. He was so fond of mathematics that he used to score full marks in mathematics but failed in other subjects.
contribution to mathematics
Ramanujan made important contributions to many complex areas of mathematics. His discoveries were mainly in the following areas-
number theory: The study of numbers was a passion for Ramanujan. He described many special numbers and their properties.
Ramanujan numbers: For example, 1729 is called the “Ramanujan number” because it is the sum of two cubed numbers in two different ways.
1729=13+123=93+103
Ramanujan–Peterson hypothesis: He also worked on mock theta functions and modular forms.
Infinite Series: Ramanujan gave new formulas and methods of infinite series, which became the basis for modern mathematics.
Cambridge and G.H. hardy
Ramanujan wrote his research paper to England’s famous mathematician G.H. Send it to Hardy. Hardy was impressed by his talent and invited him to Cambridge. There they together did many important researches.
demise
Ramanujan’s health began to deteriorate due to the cold climate of Cambridge and problems with food. He contracted tuberculosis, and died on 26 April 1920 at the age of just 32.
Heritage
Even today, the mathematical inventions made by him are useful in advanced fields of mathematics and physics, such as computer programming, cryptography, theoretical physics and data analysis. This work of Ramanujan shows that even deep and complex principles of mathematics can be expressed in simple formulas. Ramanujan’s works, such as the Ramanujan Notebooks, are still a source of inspiration for mathematicians. His achievements show that talent and dedication can overcome any obstacle.