National Maths Day is celebrated on December 22 every year. The day has been celebrated since 2012. The then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh paid tribute to Ramanujan’s birth anniversary as National Mathematics Day. This day is celebrated to understand the significant legacy of Ramanujan’s contribution to mathematics. The brilliant mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan was born on December 22, 1887 to a Tamil Brahmin Iyengar family. This day is significant for all mathematicians across the country.
Since ancient times, various scholars have made great changes in the field of mathematics, including Aryabhata, Brahmagupta, Mahavira, Bhaskara II, Srinivasa Ramanujan, etc. At a very young age, Srinivasa Ramanujan showed signs of developing genius and showed his contributions on fractions, infinite series, number theory, etc.
History
December 22 was designated as National Mathematics Day by the Manmohan Singh government in 2012. Since then, National Maths Day has been celebrated every year. The year 2012 was also called and celebrated as the National Year of Mathematics.
Srinivasa Ramanujan was born on 22 December 1887 in Erode, Tamil Nadu. At the age of 12 he acquired a knowledge of trigonometry and at the age of 15 he obtained a copy of George Shoobridge Carr’s Synopse of Elementary Results in Pure and Applied Mathematics.
One of the greatest Indian mathematicians of all time, Ramanujan is known for his work in the areas of Riemann series, hypergeometric series, elliptic integrals, continued fractions, and functional equations of the zeta function.
In 1911, he got his first paper published in the Journal of the Indian Mathematical Society. In 1916 he was awarded a B.A. degree by research from the University of Cambridge.
Ramanujan spent his childhood in great hardship and poverty. He died on April 26, 1920 at the age of 32.
The great Indian mathematician left behind around 4000 original theorems.
Importance
National Mathematics Day is celebrated to spread awareness about the importance of mathematics and the contribution of Srinivasa Ramanujan in the field of mathematics.
At NMD, like Srinivasa Ramanujan, who lacked formal education, children are encouraged to go beyond textbooks and engage in critical thinking and logical reasoning. On this occasion, schools and colleges organize several competitions, Olympiads and other educational events.
Mathematics is an essential part of life and has been enriched by the contributions of great Indian mathematicians such as Aryabhata, Brahmagupta, Mahavira and Bhaskara II.
How to celebrate
Various steps have been taken to educate students in mathematics and spread knowledge about the subject. Various workshops and activities are organized on this day to help students get to know the topic better.
National Mathematics Day is celebrated in various schools, colleges, universities and educational institutions in a grand manner. Even UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and India have agreed to cooperate in spreading the importance of learning mathematics.
