The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan

The Book of Carr

Kanigel introduces a math textbook from 1886 written by George Schoobridge Carr entitled The Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure and Applied Mathematics. The work was highly influential to Ramanujan, who likely first encountered the book sometime in 1903. Much of the section outlines Carr’s teaching methods and describes how the way in which equations were presented in the book fostered motivation in the students who read it. This is the first section in which Kanigel introduces mathematical concepts and presents algebraic equations.

The Cambridge of South India

In 1904, Ramanujan entered the Government College in Kumbakonam. Kanigel describes the setting and history of the college. Kanigel says that Ramanujan was so influenced by Carr’s text that he became myopic toward math at the expense of other subjects. Although he was generally considered a very promising and highly skilled mathematician, because his performance in other subjects was so poor, his scholarship to the college was revoked. Coming from such meager economic circumstances, this was a tremendous blow for Ramanujan.

Flight

After the revocation of his scholarship, Ramanujan left home for Vizagapatnam, a town on the Bay of Bengal. He left without a trace, much to the concern of his family.