LIFESTYLE
National Mathematics Day 2022: Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, the man who knew infinity, was born on this day.
Every year, December 22 is celebrated as National Mathematics Day. The day marks the birth anniversary of the legendary Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.
The day is also celebrated to remember the contribution of Ramanujan, one of the greatest Indian mathematicians of all time. The genius mathematician was born on December 22, 1887, to a Tamil Brahmin Iyengar family in Erode, Tamil Nadu. He was fondly known as 'the man who knew infinity.'
In 2012, former prime minister Manmohan Singh declared December 22 as National Mathematics Day to honour the life and achievements of Ramanujan.
The main aim of the National Mathematics Day is to raise awareness among people about the importance of mathematics for humanity’s development and progress. Ramanujan died on April 26, 1920, at the age of 32 due to his deteriorating health.
He is known for the work he did in the areas of infinite series, continued fractions, number theory and mathematical analysis. In 1917, Ramanujan was elected to the London Mathematical Society. Next year in 1918, he was elected to the Royal Society for his research on Elliptic Functions and the theory of numbers.
On this day, schools and colleges across India hold competitions, maths olympiads and other events.