Still looking for a list of Ramanujan identities, very expensive

In summary, the notebooks for Ramanujan's work are expensive and some of the pdf facsimilies are difficult to understand. It is good to check out any university library near you.
  • #1
mesa
Gold Member
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It is surprising how expensive the books are that contain the Ramaujan identities and equations. I understand the work to 'prove' them must have been a tremendous undertaking however I find the price of the 'notebooks' for Ramanujan's work prohibitively expensive.

I believe wolfram put it best:
http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Ramanujan.html
(last paragraph, last sentence)

Does anyone just have a 'list' (partial or otherwise) of his work? I could care less about the proofs at the moment.
 
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  • #3
mesa said:
It is surprising how expensive the books are that contain the Ramaujan identities and equations. I understand the work to 'prove' them must have been a tremendous undertaking however I find the price of the 'notebooks' for Ramanujan's work prohibitively expensive.

I believe wolfram put it best:
http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Ramanujan.html
(last paragraph, last sentence)

Does anyone just have a 'list' (partial or otherwise) of his work? I could care less about the proofs at the moment.

This is one reason to check out any university libraries you might live near, even if you aren't a student. University libraries buy and collect all sorts of special interest, insanely priced books and journals, which you can read at your leisure on the premises, and they probably do a lot of it with your tax dollars. You might inquire about borrowing privileges for books or inter-library loan with your public library.

The history of Ramanujan's journals is interesting. Most of what he wrote is thought to be a summary of his work, with just the results being saved by him. The pdf facsmilies which were put on the web by the Indian universities are of highly varying quality, and some of it is quite difficult to decipher without a lot of effort.

At least one of the notebooks, the famous 'lost notebook', was left to an English mathematician, G.N. Watson, famous for his book on elliptic functions. After Watson's death, his papers were scheduled to be incinerated when someone going thru them one last time happened to notice some of Ramanujan's work. These pages were quickly saved from the pyre.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srinivasa_Ramanujan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramanujan's_lost_notebook
 
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  • #4
AlephZero said:
It is (probably) all here: http://www.imsc.res.in/~rao/ramanujan/contentindex.html

But you will (probably) have to make the "list" for yourself.

That is an excellent link, although I am a little surprised. From everything I have read about the man I was expecting his notes to be more... chaotic (like mine for example:).

SteamKing said:
This is one reason to check out any university libraries you might live near, even if you aren't a student. University libraries buy and collect all sorts of special interest, insanely priced books and journals, which you can read at your leisure on the premises, and they probably do a lot of it with your tax dollars. You might inquire about borrowing privileges for books or inter-library loan with your public library.

The history of Ramanujan's journals is interesting. Most of what he wrote is thought to be a summary of his work, with just the results being saved by him. The pdf facsmilies which were put on the web by the Indian universities are of highly varying quality, and some of it is quite difficult to decipher without a lot of effort.

At least one of the notebooks, the famous 'lost notebook', was left to an English mathematician, G.N. Watson, famous for his book on elliptic functions. After Watson's death, his papers were scheduled to be incinerated when someone going thru them one last time happened to notice some of Ramanujan's work. These pages were quickly saved from the pyre.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srinivasa_Ramanujan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramanujan's_lost_notebook

It's amazing how many 'close calls' there have been with important documents. It makes you wonder how much has been lost...

The local libraries are a good call, our campus library has a good selection although most of the books are only available for 2 hour checkouts within the confines of the building :P

I like making notes in books, marking interesting pages, adding my own, etc. which our librarian typically frowns upon :tongue2: although it is nice to see what is worth acquiring a copy of before making a purchase.
 
  • #5
mesa said:
I like making notes in books, marking interesting pages, adding my own, etc. which our librarian typically frowns upon :tongue2: although it is nice to see what is worth acquiring a copy of before making a purchase.

A lot of people do this, but to their own books. Please have some consideration for the folks coming after you who might pick up these books.

What's worse, people see something they want in a library book and they rip entire pages out and leave the carcass behind. These are the people who should be shot on sight, IMO.
 
  • #6
mesa said:
I like making notes in books, marking interesting pages, adding my own, etc. which our librarian typically frowns upon :tongue2: although it is nice to see what is worth acquiring a copy of before making a purchase.

You actually write your own stuff in library books? Don't you have any respect at all for other people? Didn't they teach you basic manners in schools?

And then you're even joking (with a smiley: :tongue2:) about the librarian not liking it. Really? What kind of person does this.
 
  • #7
micromass said:
You actually write your own stuff in library books? Don't you have any respect at all for other people? Didn't they teach you basic manners in schools?

And then you're even joking (with a smiley: :tongue2:) about the librarian not liking it. Really? What kind of person does this.

I think mesa means that he wants to own his own copy so that he can do this, as he wouldn't do this to a library copy.
 
  • #8
George Jones said:
I think mesa means that he wants to own his own copy so that he can do this, as he wouldn't do this to a library copy.

I sure hope this is the case. Sorry, but people writing in library books is a major pet peeve of mine.
 
  • #9
SteamKing said:
A lot of people do this, but to their own books. Please have some consideration for the folks coming after you who might pick up these books.

What's worse, people see something they want in a library book and they rip entire pages out and leave the carcass behind. These are the people who should be shot on sight, IMO.

micromass said:
You actually write your own stuff in library books? Don't you have any respect at all for other people? Didn't they teach you basic manners in schools?

And then you're even joking (with a smiley: :tongue2:) about the librarian not liking it. Really? What kind of person does this.

Only joking around guys, hence the smiley face ;)
Library books belong to the public, my personal copies on the other hand are well used.

George Jones said:
I think mesa means that he wants to own his own copy so that he can do this, as he wouldn't do this to a library copy.

Thank you George, your statement is correct.
 
  • #10
mesa said:
Only joking around guys, hence the smiley face ;)
Library books belong to the public, my personal copies on the other hand are well used.



Thank you George, your statement is correct.

My sincere apologies then!
 
  • #11
micromass said:
My sincere apologies then!

No problem, I would be bent too if I thought someone were messing with public books so in that regard job well done!
 

1. What are Ramanujan identities?

Ramanujan identities are mathematical equations or formulas discovered by Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. These identities have special properties and patterns that make them significant in the field of mathematics.

2. How are Ramanujan identities useful?

Ramanujan identities have been used in various branches of mathematics, including number theory, algebra, and combinatorics. They have also been used in the study of partitions, mock theta functions, and other areas of mathematical research.

3. Are there any known lists of Ramanujan identities?

Yes, there are several known lists of Ramanujan identities. Some of the most well-known lists include the "Lost Notebook" of Ramanujan and the "Collected Papers" of Ramanujan. These lists contain hundreds of identities discovered by Ramanujan.

4. Why are Ramanujan identities considered expensive?

Ramanujan identities are considered expensive because they often involve complex mathematical concepts and require a high level of expertise to understand and prove. Additionally, the process of discovering new identities can be time-consuming and require a lot of resources.

5. Is there ongoing research on Ramanujan identities?

Yes, there is ongoing research on Ramanujan identities. Mathematicians continue to study and explore these identities, looking for new patterns and connections. There are also efforts to make these identities more accessible and understandable to a wider audience.

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