Mathematics
Who was guiding Ramanujan in mathematics? Who was explaining the formulas?
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Who was guiding Ramanujan in mathematics? Who was explaining the formulas?
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Srinivasa Ramanujan credits his mathematical findings to the Goddess of Namagiri. According to Ramanujan, she appeared to him in visions, proposing mathematical formulas that he would then have to verify. One such event was described by him as follows:
While asleep, I had an unusual experience. There was a red screen formed by flowing blood, as it were. I was observing it. Suddenly a hand began to write on the screen. I became all attention. That hand wrote a number of elliptic integrals. They stuck to my mind. As soon as I woke up, I committed them to writing.
Furthermore, Ramanujan's mother received permission from Namagiri Thayar for Ramanujan to go to England in a dream.
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While Srinivasa Ramanujan was largely self-taught in mathematics, he did have some key figures who guided and supported him, though not in a formal teacher-student relationship in the traditional sense.
- S. Narayana Iyer: He was a mathematician who offered Ramanujan a clerical position at the Madras Port Trust. Iyer recognized Ramanujan's talent and encouraged his mathematical pursuits. He was one of the first people to acknowledge Ramanujan's abilities.
- R. Ramachandra Rao: He was the District Collector of Nellore and the Secretary of the Indian Mathematical Society. When Ramanujan was in need of financial assistance, Iyer sent him to Rao. Rao was initially skeptical but, after some time, recognized Ramanujan's extraordinary abilities and provided him with financial support.
- G. H. Hardy: After Ramanujan sent his notebooks to several mathematicians, G. H. Hardy at the University of Cambridge recognized his genius. Hardy, along with J. E. Littlewood, mentored Ramanujan during his time in England. Hardy helped Ramanujan develop mathematical rigor and communicate his ideas to the broader mathematical community. Hardy also helped Ramanujan publish his papers in prominent journals. Source: Britannica
It is important to note that Ramanujan's mathematical development was unique. He often arrived at his results intuitively, and he did not always have formal proofs. Hardy and Littlewood played a crucial role in helping Ramanujan develop the rigor necessary for his work to be accepted by the mathematical community.