OT: 103 years ago today, a Madras clerk sent a letter to the English mathematican G. H. Hardy

[LionJim]

I just happened to go back to "The Man Who Knew Infinity" yesterday and noticed the date. It's a fine book, written with uncommon skill.

It tells the story of the genius Srinivasa Ramanujan who grew up poor and poorly educated in India; he sent a letter full of mathematics to G. H. Hardy, the greatest British mathematician of his time. Hardy spent the evening with his collaborator John Edensor Littlewood, and they sat together and marveled at the formulas they were seeing.

Ramanujan was a true genius. "Years later, Hardy would contrive an informal scale of natural mathematical ability on which he assigned himself a 25 and Littlewood a 30. To David Hilbert, the most eminent mathematician of his day, he assigned an 80. To Ramanujan he gave 100." Hardy could compare him only with Euler and Jacobi.

Ramanujan was very sickly and died young. Once Hardy took a taxi to the hospital and said that the cab he took was numbered 1729 and said he thought it was a very boring number. Ramanujan said, no, no, it's a very interesting number; notice that 1729=1 cubed +12 cubed =9 cubed +10 cubed and that it was the smallest number you can write as the sum of two cubes in two different ways. Wow.

Anyway, today is a great day in mathematics.

 

[fairgambit]

I just happened to go back to "The Man Who Knew Infinity" yesterday and noticed the date. It's a fine book, written with uncommon skill.

It tells the story of the genius Srinivasa Ramanujan who grew up poor and poorly educated in India; he sent a letter full of mathematics to G. H. Hardy, the greatest British mathematician of his time. Hardy spent the evening with his collaborator John Edensor Littlewood, and they sat together and marveled at the formulas they were seeing.

Ramanujan was a true genius. "Years later, Hardy would contrive an informal scale of natural mathematical ability on which he assigned himself a 25 and Littlewood a 30. To David Hilbert, the most eminent mathematician of his day, he assigned an 80. To Ramanujan he gave 100." Hardy could compare him only with Euler and Jacobi.

Ramanujan was very sickly and died young. Once Hardy took a taxi to the hospital and said that the cab he took was numbered 1729 and said he thought it was a very boring number. Ramanujan said, no, no, it's a very interesting number; notice that 1729=1 cubed +12 cubed =9 cubed +10 cubed and that it was the smallest number you can write as the sum of two cubes in two different ways. Wow.

Anyway, today is a great day in mathematics.

Jim, you add dignity and value to this Board. Thank you.

 

[mn78psu83]

I just happened to go back to "The Man Who Knew Infinity" yesterday and noticed the date. It's a fine book, written with uncommon skill.

It tells the story of the genius Srinivasa Ramanujan who grew up poor and poorly educated in India; he sent a letter full of mathematics to G. H. Hardy, the greatest British mathematician of his time. Hardy spent the evening with his collaborator John Edensor Littlewood, and they sat together and marveled at the formulas they were seeing.

Ramanujan was a true genius. "Years later, Hardy would contrive an informal scale of natural mathematical ability on which he assigned himself a 25 and Littlewood a 30. To David Hilbert, the most eminent mathematician of his day, he assigned an 80. To Ramanujan he gave 100." Hardy could compare him only with Euler and Jacobi.

Ramanujan was very sickly and died young. Once Hardy took a taxi to the hospital and said that the cab he took was numbered 1729 and said he thought it was a very boring number. Ramanujan said, no, no, it's a very interesting number; notice that 1729=1 cubed +12 cubed =9 cubed +10 cubed and that it was the smallest number you can write as the sum of two cubes in two different ways. Wow.

Anyway, today is a great day in mathematics.

Great stuff!

Hardy could compare him only with Euler and Jacobi.

I guess he never heard of Gauss.

I'm currently fixated on "technological singularity" and was recently reading about John von Neumann. Though later, his range and natural ability were remarkable too.

 

[LionJim]

Great stuff!

Hardy could compare him only with Euler and Jacobi.

I guess he never heard of Gauss.

I'm currently fixated on "technological singularity" and was recently reading about John von Neumann. Though later, his range and natural ability was remarkable too.

About Gauss, my interpretation of Hardy's words is that Ramanujan was in Euler's class but not quite in Gauss' class. Gauss was something else entirely.

 

[sluggo72]

I just happened to go back to "The Man Who Knew Infinity" yesterday and noticed the date. It's a fine book, written with uncommon skill.

It tells the story of the genius Srinivasa Ramanujan who grew up poor and poorly educated in India; he sent a letter full of mathematics to G. H. Hardy, the greatest British mathematician of his time. Hardy spent the evening with his collaborator John Edensor Littlewood, and they sat together and marveled at the formulas they were seeing.

Ramanujan was a true genius. "Years later, Hardy would contrive an informal scale of natural mathematical ability on which he assigned himself a 25 and Littlewood a 30. To David Hilbert, the most eminent mathematician of his day, he assigned an 80. To Ramanujan he gave 100." Hardy could compare him only with Euler and Jacobi.

Ramanujan was very sickly and died young. Once Hardy took a taxi to the hospital and said that the cab he took was numbered 1729 and said he thought it was a very boring number. Ramanujan said, no, no, it's a very interesting number; notice that 1729=1 cubed +12 cubed =9 cubed +10 cubed and that it was the smallest number you can write as the sum of two cubes in two different ways. Wow.

Anyway, today is a great day in mathematics.

you must have been watching Good Will Hunting which was on like at 8 am today on Showtime or something (I know this because I was) Isnt Ramanujan the Indian Mathematician referenced by the MIT prof while discussing stuff with Robin Williams in the bar?? I swear I just saw that scene. Thanks for sharing, and be free to correct.

 

[Michael.Felli]

I just happened to go back to "The Man Who Knew Infinity" yesterday and noticed the date. It's a fine book, written with uncommon skill.

It tells the story of the genius Srinivasa Ramanujan who grew up poor and poorly educated in India; he sent a letter full of mathematics to G. H. Hardy, the greatest British mathematician of his time. Hardy spent the evening with his collaborator John Edensor Littlewood, and they sat together and marveled at the formulas they were seeing.

Ramanujan was a true genius. "Years later, Hardy would contrive an informal scale of natural mathematical ability on which he assigned himself a 25 and Littlewood a 30. To David Hilbert, the most eminent mathematician of his day, he assigned an 80. To Ramanujan he gave 100." Hardy could compare him only with Euler and Jacobi.

Ramanujan was very sickly and died young. Once Hardy took a taxi to the hospital and said that the cab he took was numbered 1729 and said he thought it was a very boring number. Ramanujan said, no, no, it's a very interesting number; notice that 1729=1 cubed +12 cubed =9 cubed +10 cubed and that it was the smallest number you can write as the sum of two cubes in two different ways. Wow.

Anyway, today is a great day in mathematics.

If you turn my last name upside down, it reveals the number 1773. And, if you add those numbers up, you get the number 18. Which, btw, can be achieved, also, by adding 6 and 6 and 6.

On that note, have you thought about learning to Salsa? Life's short...

 

[LionJim]

you must have been watching Good Will Hunting which was on like at 8 am today on Showtime or something (I know this because I was) Isnt Ramanujan the Indian Mathematician referenced by the MIT prof while discussing stuff with Robin Williams in the bar?? I swear I just saw that scene. Thanks for sharing, and be free to correct.

No, no, for some reason I just decided to pick up the book again; it's been going on ten years, I'd say, since I had. In five minutes I noticed January 16, 1913.

About "Good Will Hunting," did you notice that in the movies mathematicians are portrayed by people like Matt Damon, Stelen Starsgard, Jeff Bridges, Dustin Hoffman, Russell Crowe, Jeff Goldblum. Real men, all.

 

[psu1969a]

I just happened to go back to "The Man Who Knew Infinity" yesterday and noticed the date. It's a fine book, written with uncommon skill.

It tells the story of the genius Srinivasa Ramanujan who grew up poor and poorly educated in India; he sent a letter full of mathematics to G. H. Hardy, the greatest British mathematician of his time. Hardy spent the evening with his collaborator John Edensor Littlewood, and they sat together and marveled at the formulas they were seeing.

Ramanujan was a true genius. "Years later, Hardy would contrive an informal scale of natural mathematical ability on which he assigned himself a 25 and Littlewood a 30. To David Hilbert, the most eminent mathematician of his day, he assigned an 80. To Ramanujan he gave 100." Hardy could compare him only with Euler and Jacobi.

Ramanujan was very sickly and died young. Once Hardy took a taxi to the hospital and said that the cab he took was numbered 1729 and said he thought it was a very boring number. Ramanujan said, no, no, it's a very interesting number; notice that 1729=1 cubed +12 cubed =9 cubed +10 cubed and that it was the smallest number you can write as the sum of two cubes in two different ways. Wow.

Anyway, today is a great day in mathematics.

My favorite mathematician is Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky for his work in non Euclidean geometry.

 

[fairgambit]

My favorite mathematician is Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky for his work in non Euclidean geometry.

This Board is advancing to educational level beyond the capacity of my brain.

 

[LionJim]

My favorite mathematician is Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky for his work in non Euclidean geometry.

Damn, that guy ROCKED, so did Janos Boylai, who worked on it also, around the same time, independently. It took about 1900 years to make the jump from Euclid. I taught a class in Non-Euclidean Geometry last fall and, let me tell you, some of the Euclidean proofs are so amazingly intricate and creative, they take your breath away. And the Klein model for Hyperbolic non-Euclidean geometry, good gracious me, surpassingly clever and beautiful.

 

[BobPSU92]

Ramanujan was overrated. Weak strength of schedule. He would have been pwned in the Ivy League.

 

[LionJim]

This Board is advancing to educational level beyond the capacity of my brain.

Ah, no it's not. We all have our knowledge, our passions. Two important things to remember: we all have something to contribute to this board and this board is never boring because we make sure it's not.

 

[psuro]

Ah, no it's not. We all have our knowledge, our passions. Two important things to remember: we all have something to contribute to this board and this board is never boring because we make sure it's not.

I want to give you Likes to Infinity and Beyond.

 

[Nit Nolte]

But does Ramanujan know what time the lots open for the blue white game?

 

[kgilbert78]

My favorite mathematician is Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky for his work in non Euclidean geometry.

Tom Lehrer's too....

 

[RochLion]

I'm friends with and had gone to grad school with a distant relative of his and she is wicked smart. Unfortunately she was Umich grad so we would always have Mich vs PSU battles come football season. Kidding aside she's real easygoing and has a good sense of humor. Very talented and thinks on a totally different level.

 

[T J]

Tom Lehrer's too....

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Beat me to it.

Well played kgilbert78!

My favorite mathematician is Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky for his work in non Euclidean geometry.

 

[PSU65]

I just happened to go back to "The Man Who Knew Infinity" yesterday and noticed the date. It's a fine book, written with uncommon skill.

It tells the story of the genius Srinivasa Ramanujan who grew up poor and poorly educated in India; he sent a letter full of mathematics to G. H. Hardy, the greatest British mathematician of his time. Hardy spent the evening with his collaborator John Edensor Littlewood, and they sat together and marveled at the formulas they were seeing.

Ramanujan was a true genius. "Years later, Hardy would contrive an informal scale of natural mathematical ability on which he assigned himself a 25 and Littlewood a 30. To David Hilbert, the most eminent mathematician of his day, he assigned an 80. To Ramanujan he gave 100." Hardy could compare him only with Euler and Jacobi.

Ramanujan was very sickly and died young. Once Hardy took a taxi to the hospital and said that the cab he took was numbered 1729 and said he thought it was a very boring number. Ramanujan said, no, no, it's a very interesting number; notice that 1729=1 cubed +12 cubed =9 cubed +10 cubed and that it was the smallest number you can write as the sum of two cubes in two different ways. Wow.

Anyway, today is a great day in mathematics.

Jim, did you get a Math degree at PSU? When?

 

[ChandlerPearce]

My favorite mathematician is John Urshel !

 

[LionJim]

Jim, did you get a Math degree at PSU? When?

No, I transferred out.

 

[IrishHerb]

Ah, no it's not. We all have our knowledge, our passions. Two important things to remember: we all have something to contribute to this board and this board is never boring because we make sure it's not.

I agree Jim. Wish the Notre Dame board had discussions like this, instead of always being so serious about football.

Thats why I frequent this board, but rarely post.

 

[LionJim]

I agree Jim. Wish the Notre Dame board had discussions like this, instead of always being so serious about football.

Thats why I frequent this board, but rarely post.

Herbie! Happy New Year! I'll call you.

 

[Doc-M]

One of the world's greatest scholar of Ramanujan's work is Professor George Andrews at Penn State.

 

[LafayetteBear]

When I got to college, I was smacked in the face by the realization that there are a whole lot of people smarter than me. I just got smacked in the face again. Thanks, LionJim.

 

[Doc-M]

LafayetteBear, if I recall correctly, you are an attorney. You are laughing to the bank when many "smart" academics are hit in the face.

 

[LionJim]

One of the world's greatest scholar of Ramanujan's work is Professor George Andrews at Penn State.

Yes, I was thinking of that. Andrews and Bruce Berndt.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramanujan's_lost_notebook

 

[Black Elmo 2]

Here's an interesting number: ZERO. Which is the amount of interest I have in this thread.

 

[LionJim]

Here's an interesting number: ZERO. Which is the amount of interest I have in this thread.

Cool, but my subject line was pretty unambiguous. If you feel the way you do, why even open the thread, much less comment on it? There are probably 500 other posters here who feel the same way you do about this thread but they're intelligent enough to know not to bother wasting their time on it if it doesn't strike their fancy. I totally skip approximately half the threads here, no problem, nobody cares what I'm not interested in, nor should they care, and I'm not going to get in their faces because they're talking about something I have no interest in.

 

[psuro]

Here's an interesting number: ZERO. Which is the amount of interest I have in this thread.

 

[BobPSU92]

Here's an interesting number: ZERO. Which is the amount of interest I have in this thread.

That's because it's over your head, little man. Have another beer, dipshit.

 

[PSU65]

One of the world's greatest scholar of Ramanujan's work is Professor George Andrews at Penn State.

Is he still there? I had him back in the '60's.

 

[LionJim]

Is he still there? I had him back in the '60's.

He's still there.

http://www.personal.psu.edu/gea1/

 

[PSU65]

He's still there.

http://www.personal.psu.edu/gea1/

Thanks. Wow. Didn't realize he was that young when I had him.

 

[Doc-M]

A remarkable fact about Ramanujan that brings chills to my spine every time I think of it: when he was sick and dying on his death bed his wife keep on giving him blank sheets that he wrote formulas on and threw them down for his wife to pick to pick up. In one year (1919-1920) before his death, he wrote enough formulas for world's scholar to write dozens and dozens of books and monographs about them over a span of 95 years till now and there is no end in sight. In 1976, Professor Andrews found in the library at Trinity College, Cambridge, these pages (in the handwriting) of Ramanujan. Soon it became known as "Ramanujan’s Lost Notebook." As story goes, his widow collected them and sent them to Professors Hardy and Littlewood at Cambridge.

This is an inspirational story about men and women of science. Indians have established an institute of research in his honor which attracts scholars from around the world.

Thanks you Lionjim for this inspiring story.

 

[LionJim]

A remarkable fact about Ramanujan that brings chills to my spine every time I think of it: when he was sick and dying on his death bed his wife keep on giving him blank sheets that he wrote formulas on and threw them down for his wife to pick to pick up. In one year (1919-1920) before his death, he wrote enough formulas for world's scholar to write dozens and dozens of books and monographs about them over a span of 95 years till now and there is no end in sight. In 1976, Professor Andrews found in the library at Trinity College, Cambridge, these pages (in the handwriting) of Ramanujan. Soon it became known as "Ramanujan’s Lost Notebook." As story goes, his widow collected them and sent them to Professors Hardy and Littlewood at Cambridge.

This is an inspirational story about men and women of science. Indians have established an institute of research in his honor which attracts scholars from around the world.

Thanks you Lionjim for this inspiring story.

Yes, Andrews' PhD was on mock theta functions (? I have no idea) and when he saw these papers he recognized work on mock theta functions and realized that the papers had to be Ramanujan's work from the last year of his life, in India. Great, great story. YOU were the one who brought this up, not me; it keeps getting better and better, does it not?

 

[HartfordLlion]

If you turn my last name upside down, it reveals the number 1773. And, if you add those numbers up, you get the number 18. Which, btw, can be achieved, also, by adding 6 and 6 and 6.

On that note, have you thought about learning to Salsa? Life's short...

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"We mock at those who do not understand"