National Mathematics Day: Five great movies every math lover would love to watch

As a tribute to the extraordinary legacy of the renowned Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, the country is observing National Mathematics Day on Friday (December 22).

Ramanujan made indelible contribution in the field of mathematics even though he never received any formal training in pure maths. His areas of work include infinite series, continued fractions, number theory and mathematical analysis. He also made remarkable contributions like the hypergeometric series, the Riemann series, the elliptic integrals, the theory of divergent series, and the functional equations of the zeta function.

Mathematics is a subject that many of us struggle with in our initial school days and some through their entire school life. Math anxiety is something that students have grappled with for many generations. Those reading this article may have feared mathematics in school, and some of us who are parents even find teaching our kids the subject a struggle, thereby continuing this angst.

However, have you ever tried looking at the subject in a different manner? Do you have an idea that math plays a critical role in your favourite movies?

Yes, there have been a number of films that use theories of math behind the scenes in their filming style, whether it is in the symmetry and composition of a scene, algebra creating special effects or trigonometry rotating characters in animated movies. There are also films about real-life mathematicians whose stories have left us in awe and inspired us to learn more about the subject.

Here are five great movies every math lover would like to watch:

1. Good Will Hunting

The film revolves around Will Hunting, a genius mathematician who despite his exceptional intelligence works as a janitor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston. He solves difficult mathematical problems while facing an emotional crisis and subsequently seeks help from psychiatrist Dr Sean Maguireto who helps him recuperate.

2. Hidden Figures

Nominated for the Oscars, the movie follows the true story of three female African American mathematicians working in NASA, who played a pivotal role in astronaut John Glenn's launch into orbit while also dealing with racial and gender discrimination at work. It shows how the concept of geometry was used for space travel while figuring out the paths for the spacecraft to orbit Earth and land on the Moon.

3. A Beautiful Mind

This 2001 American biographical film is based on the life of American mathematician and Nobel laureate in economics John Nash. He was best known for his work in furthering game theory which is the study of devising a winning strategy in the game of life, when you do not know what your competitors are doing, and the choices are limited.

4. Interstellar

Directed by Christopher Nolan, this 2014 science-fiction film uses math and physics concepts of time, gravity and relativity to take the audience through its complex narrative. The movie follows a team of explorers attempting to ensure humanity’s survival by traveling through a wormhole in space.

5. The Imitation Game

The film revolves around British mathematician and cryptanalyst Alan Turing who led a code-cracking team to aid the allies during World War II and successfully helped curtail the war and save millions of lives. The movie is an inspiring story filled with numbers, complex mathematics and lots of puzzle-solving as Turing tries to crack the enigma code, a Cipher device used by the German military with help from fellow mathematicians.