The First Edition of the book is a collection of articles, all by the author, on the Indian mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan as well as on some of the greatest mathematicians in history whose life and works have things in common with Ramanujan. It presents a unique comparative study of Ramanujan’s spectacular discoveries and remarkable life with the monumental contributions of various mathematical luminaries, some of whom, like Ramanujan, overcame great difficulties in life. Also, among the articles are reviews of three important books on Ramanujan’s mathematics and life. In addition, some aspects of Ramanujan’s contributions, such as his remarkable formulae for the number pi, his path-breaking work in the theory of partitions, and his fundamental observations on quadratic forms, are discussed. Finally, the book describes various current efforts to ensure that the legacy of Ramanujan will be preserved and continue to thrive in the future.
This Second Edition is anexpanded version of the first with six more articles by the author. Of note is the inclusion of a detailed review of the movie The Man Who Knew Infinity, a description of the fundamental work of the SASTRA Ramanujan Prize Winners, and an account of the Royal Society Conference to honour Ramanujan’s legacy on the centenary of his election as FRS.
This Second Edition is anexpanded version of the first with six more articles by the author. Of note is the inclusion of a detailed review of the movie The Man Who Knew Infinity, a description of the fundamental work of the SASTRA Ramanujan Prize Winners, and an account of the Royal Society Conference to honour Ramanujan’s legacy on the centenary of his election as FRS.
From the reviews: "One of the best ways to understand Ramanujan and his mathematics is to study his life and work in comparison to other outstanding mathematicians in history whose lives and works have things in common with Ramanujan. Some of them, like Ramanujan, underwent great difficulties in life but, undeterred by these obstacles, produced work of the highest quality. After providing an evaluation of Ramanujan and discussing the possible impact of his work in the years following his centenary, there is a collection of essays on 13 mathematical luminaries that provides a comparative study. These essays are really the heart of the book....As [George] Andrews writes in his Foreword: "Alladi, who has worked in several areas of number theory and analysis, and who, as the editor of The Ramanujan Journal, is uniquely qualified to write these historical sketches which provide an unusual and compelling view of Ramanujan." The book is an enlightening study of Ramanujan as a mathematician and as a human being and will appeal to mathematicians, students and the general public interested in mathematics." -Themistocles M. Rassias, EMS Newsletter March 2013 "It is a unique book and can be read effortlessly even by non-mathematicians. Each article can be read separately. ... strongly recommends this book to each and every one irrespective of their area of work and interest and also to school teachers and students. To sum up, it is an excellent book, highly enjoyable and easily readable." (Girish Kumar Ramaiah, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 1257, 2013)