THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY (English)
Introduction
Who was Srinivasa Ramanujan? He was a genius mathematician, the second Indian to become Fellow of the Royal Society and the first Indian to become Fellow of the Trinity College at Cambridge University, UK.In this book, you will learn more about Ramanujan.You will learn about the man behind the theorems celebrated by mathematicians all over the world. While Ramanujan was a humble man and he died at a young age, he left many great achievements for which India can be proud.
TO READ OR LISTEN COMPLETE BOOK CLICK HERE
A Brahmin Boyhood
Srinivasa Ramanujan was born on December 22, 1887. His father, Srinivasa, was a clerk at a sari shop. His mother, Komalatammal, was a housewife and a singer at a local temple. Ramanujan mostly grew up in the village of Kumbakonam in South India.He was a stubborn but sensitive little boy. When Ramanujan was a toddler, he refused to eat except at the temple. If he didn’t get the food he wanted, he would roll in the mud in frustration. Young Ramanujan was quiet and reflective. He asked questions like “How far is it from here to the clouds?” or “Who was the first man in the world?” He liked to be alone and often stayed at home while other children played outside.
Ramanujan was not interested in sports or being active, and for most of his life, Ramanujan was fat. He inherited the body type of his mother. He used to say that if he got into a fight with another kid, all he had to do is to fall on him, and the other boy would be crushed into pieces.Ramanujan studied at Kangayan Primary School. There he learned to speak English at an early age. When he was ten years old, he passed the national primary examinations. Ramanujan scored number one in the district.After that, he enrolled in Town High School, where Ramanujan studied for six years. It was his most satisfying academic experience. He aced all his subjects, especially mathematics.
One day, the math teacher lectured that if you divide any number by itself, the answer would always be one. If there are one thousand fruits and they are divided into one thousand people, each of them will get one fruit each.Ramanujan suddenly spoke, “But if you divide zero by zero, is the answer still one? If you divide no fruits among no one, will each still get one?” This is just one example of the mathematical mind of Ramanujan.Ramanujan’s family was always short on finances, which was why they accepted borders in their home. When he was eleven, two Brahmin boys lived with his family as boarders. They were students at the nearby Government College.
The college students noticed that Ramanujan was interested in mathematics, so they taught him what they knew. But within a few short months, Ramanujan had exhausted all their knowledge. He always asked them for more math books from the college library.One time, the college boys gave him a book in advanced trigonometry. By thirteen years old, Ramanujan had already mastered it. He also learned cubic equations and the complex concepts of infinite series. He was fascinated by the numerical values of π and e.
Ramanujan became a minor celebrity at school.His teachers and fellow students rarely understood him, but most of them treated him with respect. Ramanujan received many certificates and recognition for his academic excellence.At Ramanujan’s graduation ceremony, the school headmaster awarded him the highest prize for mathematics. He introduced Ramanujan to the audience and explained that the boy deserved much more than 100% or an A-plus grade and that his math skills were off the scale.
TO READ OR LISTEN COMPLETE BOOK CLICK HERE
Enough is Enough
Ramanujan was a well-rounded student in high school. He earned a full scholarship at the Government College. However, his interest in mathematics became so intense that he has neglected all the other subjects. He couldn’t force himself to study English, physiology, Greek, or Roman history. Ramanujan failed all of these subjects. He spent his time at school solving math problems, but he did not follow class lessons or participate in discussions.Ramanujan indulged himself with books in algebra, geometry, and trigonometry.
Eventually, he lost the scholarship. He tried to keep going to school for a while, but the pressure was too much, and when Ramanujan was only 17 years old, he ran away from home.He enrolled for a First Arts degree again in Pachaiyappa College after one year. His new math teacher saw his notebooks and became amazed by them.He spent extra time with Ramanujan to solve math problems.Although the teacher would solve a math problem in a dozen steps, Ramanujan would solve it in three. A senior math professor also noticed his talents. He encouraged Ramanujan to solve the problems published in math journals. If Ramanujan couldn’t figure one out, he would give it to the professor. But the professor would find that he couldn’t solve it either.
But the same pattern continued with Government College; everyone knew that Ramanujan was a math genius. He finished the three-hour math exams in just 30 minutes. But again, he flunked all the other subjects.There was one exam in physiology that covered the digestive system. Ramanujan returned the exam sheet with no answers and no name whatsoever. He just wrote, “Sir, I couldn't digest the Digestion chapter.” The professor knew at once who it was.Ramanujan failed the F.A. exams. He tried the following year and failed again.Everyone knew that he was gifted in mathematics, but no one could do anything because the education system was rigid.He tried to tutor some students in math for a while, but he couldn't reconcile with the steps in the book.
Ramanujan would solve it in his own way or jump to more advanced lessons, which meant that he was not a very good tutor. At 20 years old, Ramanujan had no job, no degree, and no direction in life.Ramanujan spent most of his time sitting and solving math problems on the pial of his house. While neighbors passed by, busy with daily activities, Ramanujan sat there lost in his own world of equations and theorems.His parents understood him for some time, but they grew impatient too. His mother said enough is enough. She gave Ramanujan what one psychologist called “the time-tested Indian psychotherapy.” That is none other than an arranged marriage.