Why National Mathematics day is celebrated on December 22?

National Mathematics day is celebrated on the birthday of the great Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. He made several mathematical discoveries and contributed to areas like infinite series, continued fractions, and a lot more. Let us know in detail about his life and contributions.

Who was Srinivasa Ramanujan?

Srinivasa Ramanujan was born in a Tamil brahmin family on 22 December 1887. He gained knowledge of trigonometry at 12 and began to develop theorems on his own. He spent his entire childhood in poverty and had to borrow books from his friends at school to study. Ramanujan received a scholarship from the University of Madras but lost it the following year because he was too immersed in mathematics that he neglected other subjects.

Still, he continued to pursue his work, but after his marriage, he searched for permanent employment. During the job interview, a government officer, Ramchandra Rao, noticed his mathematical abilities and supported his research. Ramanujan published his paper in the Journal of the Indian Mathematical Society in 1911. His genius soon got the attention of mathematicians across the world; Godfrey H. Hardy was one such British mathematician who brought him to England. He earned his bachelor of science degree in 1916 and was afterwards elected to the London Mathematical Society. He was selected as a fellow in the reputed royal society and Trinity College in 1918. He returned to India in 1919 and sadly died at 32.

His contribution to Mathematics

Despite a short life span, Ramanujan left a legacy that inspires millions. Below are some of his known contributions to mathematics.

• Over 3900 equations and identities were compiled by him. One of his most significant mathematical inventions is Pie, which is used immensely in modern mathematics.

• He pens down many ideas to solve complex mathematical problems, some of which become the catalyst for groundbreaking discoveries. Best nursery schools in Baddi teach children in a way that encourages them to use different approaches to solve maths sums/problems.

• A modular form concept in mathematics- Mock Theta function was elaborated by Ramanujan. Though considered a mystery at that time, mathematicians now recognised it as a mass form’s holomorphic part.

• The popular Ramanujan or Hardy-Ramanujan number (1729) is the sum of two cubes, nine and ten. For instance, we can obtain the number 1729 by adding cubes of 9 and 10. As it is the sum of two cubes, it can be expressed in two distinct ways.

• Infinite series, number theory, and complex analysis are some other mathematics fields to which he contributed.

• George Andrews, an American mathematician, discovered one of his notebooks in the Trinity college library. The contents of the book were later published in a book.

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History and Significance of celebrating national mathematics day

Dr Manmohan Singh, the former prime minister of India, declared national mathematics day on 22 December 2012 while attending an event organised to celebrate the birth anniversary of Srinivasa Ramanujan in Tamil Nadu. And then national mathematics day started celebrating across the country. The main objectives of celebrating National Mathematics Day are:

• Honouring Srinivasa Ramanujan.
• Encouraging a positive outlook towards mathematics in kids.
• Raising awareness of the importance of mathematics in our development.
• Educating children on new research and inventions in mathematics.

How is it celebrated?

The best CBSE school in Baddi celebrates national mathematics days by conducting various activities, such as skits and quizzes. Government offices, research institutes and centres such as the Department of Science and Technology organise several events and functions to pay tribute to India’s legendary mathematician. Several awareness programmes are organised all over the country in different regional languages to encourage people to develop a scientific temperament.

How can you celebrate this day with children at home?

You can celebrate national mathematics day with your children by developing their interest in mathematics. We have given some ways below which can help you.

1. Do some maths

Give them some easy maths problems to do at home. You can take the help of different online websites and apps to make them practice maths in a fun way.

2. Watch Srinivas's biopic

A British biopic, "The man who knew infinity", is made on the life of Srinivasa Ramanujan. It has covered all the vital aspects of his life and the mathematical discoveries he made. So, it's good to watch with your children if they are above 16 years or above.

3. Read Ramanuja's biography

If you do not like your kids watching movies, you can buy the Robert Kanigel biography with the same title, The Man Who Knew Infinity. The book covers his life in detail, from his childhood in India to his relationship with G.H Hardy.

Conclusion

National Mathematics Day is a day to recognize the achievements of Srinivasa Ramanujan. It's a day to celebrate this discipline as it has helped us achieve several things, from bullet trains to supercomputers and everything in between. We believe that on Maths day, you will do something that will help increase your and your child’s interest in the field. Let us know in the comments how you will celebrate mathematics day at home with the kids.