National Mathematics Day observed on 22 December 2016

22 December: National Mathematics Day

National Mathematics Day was observed on 22 December 2016 across India. The day marks the birth anniversary of Indian Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.

This observation was first introduced by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 26 February 2012. The announcement was made at Madras University on the occasion of 125th birth anniversary of Ramanujan. The year 2012 was also observed as the National Mathematics Day.

About Srinivasa Ramanujan

• He was born on 23 December 1887 in a Tamil Brahmin Iyengar family in Erode, Madras Presidency in British rule. At present, Erode is a district of Tamil Nadu.

• He was an autodidact (self-taught person) who lived during the British Raj.

• His contributions in Mathematics include number theory, mathematical analysis, infinite series, and making formulas and equations.

• His discoveries in mathematics include Ramanujam Prime and Ramanujam theta. These discoveries also propelled further research on the subject.

• As a mathematician, he compiled some 3900 mathematical results and equations. Maximum of those equations’ and claims has been proven correct.

• He along with Godfrey Harold Hardy, a British Mathematician, discovered the smallest number represented as sum of two cubes 1729. This number is known as Hardy–Ramanujan number 1729.

• He was considered as a natural genius in mathematicians like Gauss and Euler.

• He died on 26 April 1920 at a young age of 32 years.

• Recognitions and honours conferred on Srinivasa Ramanujan include

a) His birthday is celebrated as 'State IT Day' in Tamil Nadu

b) In 1962 (his 75th birth anniversary), the Union Government released a stamp picturing the great Indian Mathematician Ramanujan. Later, a new design of the stamp was released on 26 December 2011 by the India post.

Apart from this, an annual prize, named SASTRA Ramanujam Prize, is given by SASTRA University of Tamil Nadu. In 2016, the awards were conferred on Maksym Radziwill of McGill University, Canada and Kaisa Matomaki of University of Turku, Finland.

SASTRA Ramanujam Prize is annually given to a mathematician who is not more than 32 years in age for his/her outstanding contributions in an area of mathematics influenced by Ramanujan