National Mathematics Day - Srinivasa Ramanujan

Rubik’s Cube mosaic of Srinivasa Ramanujan – India’s greatest mathematician

Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887–1920) was a self-taught Indian mathematician whose extraordinary contributions revolutionized number theory, infinite series, and continued fractions. Despite having little formal training, his deep insights and groundbreaking formulas amazed even the most distinguished mathematicians of his time. Discovered by British mathematician G.H. Hardy, Ramanujan was invited to Cambridge, where he produced some of his most significant work, including the Ramanujan Prime, Ramanujan Theta Function, and Mock Theta Functions. His genius remains unmatched, and his work continues to inspire mathematicians worldwide.

Ramanujan claimed many of his mathematical insights came to him in dreams from the Hindu goddess Namagiri. Another astonishing fact is that while hospitalized, he discovered the now-famous Ramanujan-Hardy number, 1729. When Hardy mentioned that 1729 seemed like an ordinary number, Ramanujan immediately replied, “No, it is a very interesting number; it is the smallest number expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways: 1729 = 1³ + 12³ = 9³ + 10³.” This number is now known as the Hardy-Ramanujan number in his honor.