Biography of Srinivasa Ramanujan
Born: December 22, 1887
Birth Place: Madras (Erode)
Father’s Name: Srinivasa Iyengar
Mother’s Name: Smt. Komaltammal
Wife’s name: Janaki
Died: April 26, 1920
Srinivasa Ramanujan was a pioneering Indian mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of mathematics during the early 20th century. He was born in 1887 in the small village of Erode, Tamil Nadu in India, and from a very young age, he showed a natural inclination towards mathematics. Despite not receiving a formal education in mathematics, Ramanujan’s self-study and passion for the subject led him to make groundbreaking discoveries and contributions to the field.
One of Ramanujan’s most notable contributions was his work on number theory. He discovered a number of unusual identities and formulae, many of which had never been seen before. He also made significant contributions to the field of analysis and the theory of elliptic functions. His work on continued fractions and the partition function, in particular, was highly influential and is still studied today.
Ramanujan’s work was not widely recognized during his lifetime, but he did receive some recognition from mathematicians in India and England. In 1913, he wrote a letter to the prominent British mathematician G.H. Hardy, in which he shared some of his work and asked for Hardy’s opinion. Impressed by Ramanujan’s work, Hardy arranged for him to come to England to work with him at Cambridge University.
During his time in England, Ramanujan made many more contributions to mathematics and collaborated with Hardy and other prominent mathematicians. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1918, and in the same year, he was awarded the prestigious Phillips Prize for mathematics by the University of Cambridge.
Sadly, Ramanujan’s health was poor and he died in 1920 at the young age of 32. But his legacy lives on as his work continues to be studied and his contributions to mathematics are still being discovered today. Ramanujan’s life and work serve as an inspiration to many aspiring mathematicians, as it shows that one can achieve greatness through self-study and perseverance.
Srinivasa Ramanujan was one of India’s greatest mathematicians who made pioneering contributions to the field of mathematics. Despite not receiving formal education, his passion for math led him to make groundbreaking discoveries and contributions, which continue to be studied today. He is a true inspiration for many aspiring mathematicians who shows that one can achieve greatness through self-study and perseverance.
