National Mathematics Day 2022 is celebrated every year since 2012 in honour of the birth anniversary of the mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan. The man who stunned everybody with his knowledge and intelligence in the field of mathematics. Ramanujan who is also known as 'Man who knew infinity' was born on December 22, 1887, in Tamil Nadu. The mathematical genius was born to a Tamil Brahmin Iyengar family.
Read out some interesting facts about Srinivasa Ramanujan, the history and significance of National Mathematics Day
History of National Mathematics Day
You will be shocked to know that Srinivasa never had any formal degree in Mathematics. But he has contributed a lot in this field leading to significant growth of mathematics in India especially. He went to London and joined Trinity College to pursue education. Srinivasa joined the college just one month before world war 1 broke out. He was referred to Professor GH Hardy by a colleague.
1916 and 1917 were the year that brought light to his life as he was awarded the Bachelor of Science degree and elected to the London Mathematical Society respectively. For his research on Elliptic Functions and the theory of numbers, he made it to the Royal Society as a fellow in 1918.
At the age of 32 in 1920, he passed away. Before his death, he returned to India in 1919 because of poor health.
Facts about Srinavasa Ramanujan
- At the age of 13, Ramanujan used to solve Loney’s Trigonometry exercises. And to amaze, he used to solve the exercises without any help.
- He was a genius in mathematics but failed to get a degree because he didn't qualify for the exams in other subjects.
- Ramanujan was honoured as the Fellow of the Royal Society in 1918. He was the second Indian who made it to the Royal Society.
Significance of National Mathematics Day
Former Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh in 2012 announced that December 22 will be celebrated as National Mathematics Day to mark the birth anniversary of Srinivasa Ramanujan. "A genius like Ramanujan would shine bright even in the most adverse of circumstances, but we should be geared to encourage and nurture good talent which may not be of the same caliber as that of Ramanujan," Singh said during his speech at a function to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Ramanujan.
