Books and Films

For this month’s edition of the Math Chronicles, I wanted to focus on a documentary. This format may prove to be a change of pace, as the film focuses on the daily life of a mathematician who was unheard of until recently, and may still be unheard of today outside of mathematical circles.

This, in our movie review, we wanted to talk about a movie that reflects the life of one of the most influential mathematicians who is deemed the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence.

Do you know who was the first female mathematician in recorded history? 

If you have no idea, don’t worry. The movie review of the Math Chronicles for this week will certainly give you some clue.

Unlike the previous reviews, this week we have chosen a fiction film, Pi - a 1998 psychological thriller film written and directed by Darren Aronofsky. Filmed on a high-contrast black-and-white reversal, the film earned the Directing Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay, and the Gotham Open Palm Award.

The movie that we have chosen to review for The Math Chronicles features the life of a very influential mathematician of the 20th century who has won Nobel Prize and Abel Prize for his contributions in mathematics and economics. The movie is directed by Ron Howard and was inspired by Sylvia Nasar’s Pullitzer winning book of the same name. The movie stars Russel Crowe, Ed Harris, and Jennifer Connely.

The first ever film we have chosen to review for the Math Chronicles details the life of one of the most original and productive mathematicians of the Twentieth Century despite receiving no formal training in pure mathematics and only living for 32 years. That’s right - he is the Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887-1920)...