Stephen Wolfram Shares Insights on Srinivasa Ramanujan's Lasting Impact

CHAMPAIGN, Ill., April 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- This week's release of the long overdue film about the life of celebrated mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan inspired Stephen Wolfram to revisit this remarkable story on his personal blog.

The movie, showing in select theaters starting April 29, encouraged the founder and CEO of Wolfram Research to reflect upon Ramanujan's contribution to mathematics, the letters shared between the mathematician and his mentor, and the fact that brilliance can be found in unexpected places.

"I've been introduced to many interesting people through letters they've sent," said Stephen Wolfram Founder and CEO of Wolfram Research. "I have no story (yet) as dramatic as Hardy and Ramanujan. But it's wonderful that it's possible to connect with people in this way, particularly in their formative years. And I can't forget that a long time ago, I was a 14-year-old who mailed papers about the research I'd done to physicists around the world."

Ramanujan is world renown for making tremendous strides in the fields of mathematical analysis, number theory, infinite series and continued fractions. Though he died at the age of 33 almost a decade ago, his findings are still studied and used in practice today. The movie centers around Ramanujan's famous discovery by and partnership with English mathematician G. H. Hardy.

For young mathematicians today, technological advances have changed how work is done, particularly with Wolfram Technologies as a groundbreaking resource. These practical and automated methods were not available to Ramanujan. That certainly did not limit his impact, and both Mathematica and the Wolfram Language^™ include special functions originated by him.

Ramanujan's story has captivated the math and science world for decades and his legacy is steadfast as part of the mathematical universe today. For Wolfram, his intuition and aesthetic criteria are proof that when one chooses to not stay in the comfort zone of what is common, infinitely amazing things are possible.  

Read Stephen Wolfram's blog at http://blog.stephenwolfram.com/. To learn more about The Man Who Knew Infinity visit gowatchit.com.

About Wolfram Research
Wolfram Research has been defining the computational future for nearly 30 years. We are the leader in developing technology and tools that inject sophisticated computation and knowledge into our broad portfolio of innovative products. The company is led by founder and CEO Stephen Wolfram. Learn more at www.wolfram.com.

SOURCE Wolfram Research

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