Srinivasa Ramanujan – Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)

The election of Srinivasa Ramanujan as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1918 was a historic milestone in the history of mathematics. It recognized Ramanujan’s extraordinary contributions to number theory and placed him among the world’s most distinguished scientists.

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The Royal Society of London

The Royal Society of London, founded in 1660, is the oldest and one of the most prestigious scientific institutions in the world. Election as a Fellow is awarded only to individuals who have made exceptional and lasting contributions to science or mathematics.

Some famous Fellows of the Royal Society include:

• Isaac Newton
• Charles Darwin
• Albert Einstein

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Ramanujan’s Election as FRS (1918)

In 1918, while working at Cambridge University, Ramanujan was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society. This achievement was extraordinary for several reasons.

• He had no formal university degree
• He was only about 30 years old
• He was the first Indian mathematician to become FRS
• Most of his work was based on deep intuition rather than formal proofs

His nomination was strongly supported by Professor G. H. Hardy, who recognized Ramanujan as a genius of the highest order.

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Reasons for His Selection

Ramanujan was elected FRS due to his remarkable contributions in:

• Number theory
• Infinite series
• Partitions of numbers
• Continued fractions
• Modular forms and theta functions

By 1918, Ramanujan had already published more than 30 research papers in leading international journals.

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Official Recognition

The Royal Society recognized Ramanujan for his work in elliptic functions and the theory of numbers. Many of his results were far ahead of their time and continue to be studied today.

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Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge

In the same year, 1918, Ramanujan was also elected a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. This was another rare honor, especially for a foreign scholar with no formal academic training.

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Impact of the FRS Honor

Ramanujan’s election as FRS:

• Brought global recognition to his work
• Highlighted Indian contributions to world mathematics
• Inspired generations of mathematicians

Unfortunately, Ramanujan’s health was already declining, and he could not enjoy this honor for long.

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Final Years and Legacy

Ramanujan returned to India in 1919 and passed away in 1920 at the age of 32. Despite his short life, his election as Fellow of the Royal Society secured his place among the greatest mathematicians of all time.

His notebooks and discoveries continue to influence modern mathematics, physics, and computer science.

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Conclusion

The honor of becoming a Fellow of the Royal Society stands as a lasting tribute to the genius of Srinivasa Ramanujan. It represents the triumph of pure talent and originality over all limitations and remains one of the proudest moments in the history of Indian mathematics.