Biographical paper on Srinivasa Ramanujan

Select a mathematician from any period in history and write a mathematical biography of that individual. The biography should include an outline of the mathematician's life and a summary of his$/$her contributions to mathematics and science or other fields, if applicable. The mathematician should be placed in a historical context with discussion of who influenced him$/$her and whom he$/$she influenced. There should be a balance between the biographical and mathematical content, but, as this is a math course, you are expected to have some discussion of the mathematical contributions and their importance to the development of mathematics. This is to be a shorter paper, about three pages long, so you will not be able to put in a great deal of mathematical detail.

Each student must choose a different biography subject. As soon as you have decided on your topic, you should post it to the forum provided on the course page for the week of Jan$16.$ State the person's name in the subject line of your post and provide a brief description. You can review the topics that others have posted on the site to ensure that you are not duplicating a topic already posted. Date and time of posting will determine priority. If you feel that, although your topic overlaps another, it is really a different subject, contact me to discuss the issue.

Remember: Always back up your files. A computer virus ate my paper, the computer lab was down, I lost my memory stick, or other technology$-$related sad stories are not valid excuses.

Length:

The biographical paper is to be a shorter paper, about three pages in length. When calculating length,$16$ include equations and such, but not pictures or diagrams.

The finished paper

This is the final draft of your paper. It should be complete and properly formatted. It will certainly not be your first draft as a thoughtful revision can change a dull or inadequate paper into a clear and concise exposition of an interesting topic. It must be carefully proofread and must follow the guidelines provided below. Submit the paper through the course website.

Guidelines

References

You must have a least three separate references that must be from print sources or from reputable on$-$line sources. At least one must be a print $($book or print journal$)$ source. Acceptable on$-$line sources include pages on university sites, signed by the author$($s$),$ whom you have determined have the expertise to write about the topic, the MAC Tutor in the History of Math, other reputable sites $($museums and such$).$ You are encouraged to use original sources $($possibly in translation$)$ and$/$or articles from scholarly journals, preferably published in the last $10$ years. Wikipedia and similar open editing sites are not acceptable sources; student papers posted to course sites are not acceptable sources; general interest web sites where the authority of the writer is unclear are not acceptable. However, looking at the reference lists from such sources may direct you to more reliable