Srinivasa Ramanujan

About

Remembered for his tremendous contributions to the mathematical sub-fields and concepts of number theory, analysis, continued fractions, and infinite series, he famously collaborated with the British mathematician G. H. Hardy. Over the course of his very brief lifetime, he formulated nearly four thousand mathematical equations and identities.

Before Fame

In his mid teens, he read G.S. Carr's A Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure and Applied Mathematics and was inspired by the work to tackle numerous advanced mathematical concepts and theorems.

Trivia

Remarkably, he was largely a self-taught abstract (pure) mathematician. He did attend some university mathematics courses, but he never received a degree because he failed most of his non-math courses.

Family Life

A native of Erode, Madras Presidency, India, he was the son of K. Srinivasa Iyengar and Komalatammal. A decade before his premature death, he married a child bride named Janakiammal.

Associated With

He was a contemporary of American mathematician Oswald Veblen.