Because he is. By any definition of greatness, he is there right at the top.
What do you get when you google "greatest mathematicians"?
You see that? Among the likes of Gauss, Newton, Euclid, Euler, Archimedes, Descartes, Pythagoras, and Leibniz. If that isn't some glorious company, what is?
Forget the fact that he was born in a poor family, and that he did not have any formal education in Mathematics. Forget the fact that he compiled, in a short life of 32 years, around 4000 proofs, formulae and identities. Or that as a kid, he completed George Shoobridge Carr's Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure and Applied Mathematics, volume 2. Or that Ramanujan was the one chosen as an example to portray the genius of Will (Matt's character) in Good Will Hunting.
Ramanujan was one of those people who are born special. With a clear advantage over others. It wasn't passion or dedication as much as it was sheer innate ability that allowed him to think and calculate stuff normal mortals can't even begin to comprehend.
Here's something you should give a shot. A 60 minute documentary that came out in 2013, aptly titled, "The Genius of Ramanujan".
What do you get when you google "greatest mathematicians"?
You see that? Among the likes of Gauss, Newton, Euclid, Euler, Archimedes, Descartes, Pythagoras, and Leibniz. If that isn't some glorious company, what is?
Forget the fact that he was born in a poor family, and that he did not have any formal education in Mathematics. Forget the fact that he compiled, in a short life of 32 years, around 4000 proofs, formulae and identities. Or that as a kid, he completed George Shoobridge Carr's Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure and Applied Mathematics, volume 2. Or that Ramanujan was the one chosen as an example to portray the genius of Will (Matt's character) in Good Will Hunting.
Ramanujan was one of those people who are born special. With a clear advantage over others. It wasn't passion or dedication as much as it was sheer innate ability that allowed him to think and calculate stuff normal mortals can't even begin to comprehend.
Here's something you should give a shot. A 60 minute documentary that came out in 2013, aptly titled, "The Genius of Ramanujan".