As far as most scientific experts, thinkers and visionaries go, mathematics is the language of the universe. It helps you to understand your environment in the most fundamental and logical way possible. And no, it is not boring, dry or scary, even if that’s what you hear your peers say. If you delve deep into numbers and the way they relate to each other and affect the world at large, you will soon fall in love with the beauty of mathematics. In fact, this field (or foundation, rather) of science is so important that National Mathematics Day is celebrated on the 22nd of December every year. In 2011, the Prime Minister of India declared this date as National Mathematics Day to commemorate the contribution of Srinivas Ramanujan in the field of mathematics. You must have heard of the Ramanujan Number. It is one of his numerous mathematical inventions and undoubtedly one of the most famous ones. Interested to know more? Read on.
What makes Srinivas Ramanujan a great mathematician of recent times?
Though the great mind lived for only 32 years, Ramanujan made remarkable contributions to areas like number theory, continued fractions, mathematical analysis, infinite series, and solved many mathematical problems previously considered unsolvable. He compiled approximately 3900 mathematical equations and identities and some of his findings opened new worlds in the field. The most astonishing part is that he never had formal training in pure mathematics. Srinivas Ramanujan was one of the youngest Fellows of the Royal Society as well.
What is so special about Ramanujan number 1729?
1729 is a natural number popularly known as Ramanujan number or Ramanujan-Hardy number, named after the eminent India-born mathematician Srinivas Ramanujan and British mathematician G. H. Hardy. It is the smallest possible number (integer) that equals cubes of 2 different sets of numbers 12 and 1; 10 and 9. It might not look impressive at first sight, but it is magical in a mathematical sense. Ramanujan mentioned the uniqueness of the number 1729 to British mathematician Godfrey Harold Hardy in 1919; Hardy later popularised the number as one of the taxicab series of numbers or Ta(n). Till now, only six taxicab numbers exist till date.
Objectives of celebrating the National Mathematics Day date
The objectives of celebrating National Mathematics Day on the 22nd of December are:
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Paying tribute to Srinivas Ramanujan
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Popularising the importance of mathematics in everyday life
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Motivating students to develop mathematical skills
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Propagating mathematical knowledge through new inventions
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Promoting intervention of mathematics in every field of study
Why should everyone learn mathematics?
Mathematics is not just a scoring subject for school children. It's a critical skill that can help you in everyday life. Maths is all around us, even if you don't think about it. Even if you're not interested in the subject, chances are you'll need to use some mathematical skills in your life. Understanding maths is essential for successfully managing bank accounts, shopping online, budgeting, and buying groceries.
Here are some examples to help you understand better:
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If you have a bank account, you need to know how interest is calculated, at least in the simplest terms.
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If you're buying something online, you'll need to use arithmetic skills to calculate the total cost of purchase after discounts and cashback.
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You will need basic maths skills to figure out how much you can spend before hitting your weekly or monthly budget limits.
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When topping up your motorcycle or car tank, you will need to calculate the cost of fuel and the average kilometres per litre of oil. It will help you to save money or cut down excesses.
The functional knowledge of mathematics will help you to succeed in every walk of life by taking better-optimised decisions. Maths is an excellent tool for self-reflection as well. Understanding mathematics not only makes you smarter, but also improves your brain health.
How can we celebrate National Mathematics Day activities?
National Mathematics Day is celebrated on the 22nd of December every year through numerous educational and fun events at schools, colleges and universities. You can also celebrate the day in your own way. However, we have shared some excellent ideas on celebrating a happy National Mathematics Day at home, community centres and workplaces.
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If you are parent, you might know that children often equate mathematics with scary calculations and exam papers. So, you can discuss the importance of mathematics as a field of study with them, how mathematical concepts have enriched other sciences and read out the life stories of famous mathematicians and their inventions.
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Whether you are a parent or student, launch a mathematics-themed party with lots of logic-based games and activities for guests. Motivate your guests to express their fears or interests in the field. Do not forget to invite the mathematics teachers in your locality.
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Do you fear mathematics? Try to address your fear and worries. In case you love mathematics, try to solve numerous mathematical challenges freely available online.
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Learning mathematics requires lots of hands-on activities. And not everyone might have access to what they need. So, distribute blank paper, pencils, pens, geometry sets and other mathematics learning kits to underprivileged children and community schools.
Finally
It is a common misconception that you need to be a maths person to learn mathematics. In reality, anyone can improve maths skills. Besides, you don’t need to be an expert in mathematics or learn calculus to benefit from the subject. Just put in your best efforts to understand basic mathematical concepts and practises. If you are preparing for your board exams, this is doubly important. Starting early and taking extra classes in maths will help you excel in school and professional fields. So, pledge to embrace mathematics without fear and anxiety this National Mathematics Day 2022. And if you are gearing up for college and keen to pursue mathematics, check out what
RNB Global University has to offer.