The Man who knew infinity
Topic started by Vasu (@ cacher.austin.ibm.com) on Fri Oct 19 13:23:42 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.
I havent read much (auto)biographies [except for the Wings of Fire which inspired me most]. But here is a great biography by Robert Kanigel about the greatest mathematicians of our times - Srinivasa Ramanujan. Kanigel has impressed very much with his excellent account of R - on almost every aspect of the person. The narration is very unbiased and at times very gripping. Some times you are lead to believe to be along-side R when the important events of his life took place.
We know several anecdotes about R. But here is a very rare one, to show the thoroughness of the author.
In his last days R probably became fully aware that he isnt going to live longer. It seems that he cast his own horoscope only to find that he will die in early 30s. After his return from Cambridge, staying in Madras, he was still working frantically (on mock theta functions) and he was advised rest by his doctor. They advised him to goto either Coimbatore or Thanjavur. R quipped immediately, "Let me goto Than-saa-vur" - literally meaning "City of my own death". This is an amazing pun in Tamil, showing R's remarkable humor.
On the whole this book will definitely adorn my book case.
Responses:
- From: Sridhar (@ dialup-225-106.bol.net.in)
on: Fri Oct 19 15:24:54
One of the best biographies of all time.I have read it thrice.
Kanigel takes the social and cutural background of the place in which ramanujan grew.Sarangapani sannidhi street,goddess namgiri of namakkal and then his miserable academic life in madras.After describing the various traditions,habits in extensive detail of tamil nadu(kanigel's description of ramanujan and his mother komalatammal excelling in aadu puli aatam,south indian eating habits is great) the reader is transported to the other side of the world of hardy and the intellectual atmosphere prevailing in cambridge.
The intresting part of the book is the analysis of hardy and littlewood (another cambridge genius) of ramanujan's letter."It defeated me completely " said hardy of the contents recieved from the indian clerk.
There are some very intresting anecdotes as vasu said (one being the cab number 1729 ).Analysis of mathematical formulas and ramanujan's theorems will not intimidate a lay man.Kanigel brilliantly weaves logical and simple explanations of those in his exquisite narrative.
- From: damya (@ ac9b8b8c.ipt.aol.com)
on: Sat Oct 20 05:00:46
Please, you need less than an hour to read the entire content of the site.
Please, read at least the three pages, if not full.
A MUST, MUST, MUST visit web site for your life.
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- From: Ramji (@ 205.177.170.122)
on: Sat Oct 20 13:41:39
What an apt title! This is a treasure for all times.
- From: venkatesan (@ 210-210-60-33.lan.sify.net)
on: Sun Dec 7 02:37:58
Ramanujan's "Than-saa-vur" metaphor is an expression of bitterness.
He did mathematics even in his last days.
But there is a lot of difference between Euler's last days and Ramanujan's last days.
Once he has attempted suicide in England, possibly because of
His mother's insenistive control (denying communication from his wife).
[It should be obvious he would have thought about the question of life after death...after the attempt]
I feel that if her mother had taken some effort to understand what is number theory, he would have lived a happier life & died in peace.
or acceptance of Christ through suggestions of life of Euler, Gauss, Cantor ....
S.Venkatesan
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