The "inspiration" is what Ramanujan was referring to, as it can be tedious and painstaking to record mathematical results in a formal proof. Karl Mahlburg: A famous quotation of Thomas Alva Edison states that "enius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration." This is absolutely true of mathematics, where the "inspiration" might involve a feeling that a striking claim is true (say, that there are infinitely many prime numbers) and the "perspiration" involves writing down a proof, which is a careful logical argument that will convince any other scientist of its truth beyond a shadow of a doubt. How does this relate to how mathematics is done today? Is there opportunity still for mathematicians to "dream" new equations to solve unsolved problems? LSU College of Science: In the film, Ramanujan is frustrated by having to spend time on proofs to publish his work as opposed to thinking of and working on new equations. And this is mainly due to significant advances in mathematical modeling of turbulent systems, rather than improvements in radar. As another example, although an unexpected storm can still ruin plans, weather forecasting has actually improved significantly in recent decades. However, this quote also has a deeper purpose, which is to highlight that the development of mathematics has always been intertwined with applications in other sciences, industry and military.įor example, some of the early developments in calculus arose from attempts to mathematically model the trajectories of cannonballs and other ballistics on the battlefield, where it is vital to understand the effects of a small change in angle or the amount of gunpowder. Karl Mahlburg: In one sense, this quote is simply meant to illustrate the character of a brilliant mathematician like Ramanujan - that he is constantly driven to seek meaningful patterns and order in the world. You see there are patterns in everything." How does this analogy relate to math? Are there really patterns in nature that can be solved with math? LSU College of Science: In the film, Ramanujan was quoted as saying, "Imagine if we could look so closely we could see each grain, each particle. Modern mathematicians continue to be amazed that Ramanujan was able to develop his incredible insights while working in isolation, without access to even a major library, let alone modern computers! For example, he developed a theory for efficiently constructing very large networks on which it is easy to communicate today these are known as "Ramanujan graphs" (see below). So yes, one of the reasons that Ramanujan is often referred to as "the man who knew infinity" is that he demonstrated incredible skill in understanding these limiting behaviors. When a mathematician discusses "infinity," this is not just an abstract idea, but rather refers to a way of modeling large-scale or long-term behavior. This means that we cannot describe, measure, or understand natural or scientific phenomena without using mathematical language. Karl Mahlburg: Mathematics is a basic language of science. Facing this with a family back home determined to keep him from his wife and his own declining health, Ramanujan joins with Hardy in a mutual struggle that would define Ramanujan as one of India's greatest modern scholars who broke more than one barrier in his worlds.LSU College of Science: What does the title of the film refer to? Did Ramanujan work on mathematical equations that deal with infinity? Forced to leave his young wife, Janaki, behind, Ramanujan finds himself in a land where both his largely intuitive mathematical theories and his cultural values run headlong into both the stringent academic requirements of his school and mentor and the prejudiced realities of a Britain heading into World War One. Hardy, who invites him to further develop his computations at Trinity College at Cambridge. Eventually, his stellar intelligence in mathematics and his boundless confidence in both attract the attention of the noted British mathematics professor, G.H. Watch The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015) Online 123movies: In the 1910s, Srinivasa Ramanujan is a man of boundless intelligence that even the abject poverty of his home in Madras, India, cannot crush.
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