7
$\begingroup$

Like many mathematicians, I have long been fascinated by Ramanujan's work and also by what little I know of his life. I would like to learn more, but have found the standard book on this subject (Kanigel's The Man Who Knew Infinity), while well-written, to be lacking in mathematical depth.

Is there an account of Ramanujan's life that places it in the context of his mathematical work, and actually discusses his results (and where they came from) rather than describing them poetically as "formulas of a genius never seen before" or similar phrases that serve to mystify, rather than illuminate, what is actually going on?

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
2
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Not to be too counter-illuminative but why are you so determined that Ramanujan's discoveries were due to just the kind of thinking as can be understood in a way that you (excuse me) are used to having presented to you? Are his discoveries non-mystical even though you don't understand them? $\endgroup$
    – user2609
    Jul 19, 2015 at 2:37
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ The closest you will get to a biography I reckon would be Hardy's accounts of working with Ramanujan. $\endgroup$
    – Ali Caglayan
    Oct 29, 2015 at 1:39

4 Answers 4

Reset to default
8
$\begingroup$

You could find the original manuscript by Ramanujan in the following work.

  • Srinivasa Ramanujan: Notebooks of Srinivasa Ramanujan. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 1984.

This work contains 390 pages of scanned version of Ramanujan's lost notebook.

The two famous book series which contains proofs and added details of Ramanujan's work are:

At last:

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
1
  • 4
    $\begingroup$ These don't explain much of Ramanujan's life, though. $\endgroup$
    – HDE 226868 ♦
    Jul 11, 2015 at 16:25
4
$\begingroup$

The English mathematician Hardy, who was close to Ramanujan, authored "Ramanujan: Twelve Lectures on Subjects Suggested by His Life and Work".

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
1
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ This answer is not really thorough, or well-researched enough to fit the SE model. You should have at least checked the name of the book by Hardy, and a link to some more information about it would be useful as well. $\endgroup$
    – Danu ♦
    Jul 13, 2015 at 20:19
1
$\begingroup$

For some bits of mathematics did and/or inspired by Ramanujan, I would recommend the following books in addition to the already mentioned ones:

B. C. Berndt, Number Theory in the Spirit of Ramanujan, published by American Mathematical Society.

N. D. Baruah, B. C. Berndt, T. Huber, M. Schlosser (eds.), Ramanujan Rediscovered, published by Ramanujan Mathematical Society.

K. Alladi, Ramanujan's Place in the world of Mathematics, published by Springer.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
-1
$\begingroup$

The BBC has a podcast called A Brief History of Mathematics which gives 10 short (approximately 10 minute) biographies of famous mathematicians, including Ramanujan and Hardy. It discusses the famous letter from Ramanujan to Hardy (which Hardy initially thought was a fraud), how Hardy brought Ramanujan to Britain, and discusses the collaboration, and, later personal problems of both men. Be forewarned the ending is rather sad.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
1
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Although this appears to be a genuine attempt to answer the question, I don't think it addresses it very well, since it seems highly unlikely that a 10-minute biography would treat the mathematics of Ramanujan in any depth. $\endgroup$
    – Danu ♦
    Jul 19, 2015 at 12:46

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.