The Rest Is Science The Letter That Changed Mathematics
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Dec 4, 2025 Explore the origins of a baffling letter filled with mathematical formulas that sparked debate over genius versus madness. Discover Srinivasa Ramanujan's astonishing claims, like 1+2+3... equaling -1/12, and his invitation to Cambridge despite challenges. Visit the archives to see his expressive handwriting and hear about his poignant struggles in a foreign land. Delve into the myth of lone genius versus collaboration in science, as well as intriguing anecdotes like the 1729 taxi story and modern parallels with Grigori Perelman.
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The Letter From Madras That Shocked Cambridge
- Geniuses sometimes arrive as messy, unsolicited letters that look like nonsense.
- Hardy rescued Ramanujan's postmarked pages from the bin and realised they contained extraordinary ideas.
Proofs Aren't Always Obvious But Ideas Matter
- Ramanujan's pages lacked rigorous proofs but contained deep, novel results that stunned established mathematicians.
- Some of his claims, like 1+2+3+4+... = -1/12, are counterintuitive yet mathematically meaningful and useful in physics.
A Self-Taught Genius At Trinity
- Hardy brought Ramanujan to Trinity College and discovered a self-taught mind far beyond his formal training.
- Ramanujan advanced number theory using only a basic school textbook as his foundation.
