Author: A.J. Shruthi, Grade – VIII, Vels Vidyashram School, Thalambur – Chennai.
Srinivasa Ramanujan was an Indian mathematician who lived during British Rule in India.Despite being a prodigy in mathematics, Ramanujan did not have an auspicious start to his career. He obtained a scholarship to college in 1904, but he quickly lost it by failing in non mathematical subjects. Another try at college in Madras also ended poorly when he failed his First Arts exam.An instinctive mathematical genius, had an estimated IQ of 185; Ramanujan discoveries have influenced several areas of mathematics, but he is probably most famous for his contributions to number theory and infinite series, among them fascinating formulas that can be used to calculate digits of pi in unusual ways.
As a youngster, Ramanujan had difficulty with speech, being dumb until the age of 4. He was very shy, overweight and stricken with smallpox. From a family record of Ramanujan,he suffered from several serious illnesses before leaving for England. Ramanujan was a quiet person with pleasant manners. He is deeply devotional and spiritual , strictly following vegetarianism.Ramanujan was always ahead of the formal education that was taught during his time. His passion for numbers, therefore, not only took him ahead of everyone else his age, but also in a completely different direction.His life story, with its modest and one times difficult beginnings, is as interesting in its own right as his amazing work was Srinivasa Ramanujan had his interest in mathematics unlocked by a book Srinivasa Ramanujan is remembered for his unique mathematical brilliance, which he had largely developed by himself.
