Re: Srinivasa Ramanujan

Posted by DickT on September 14, 2003 at 14:14:31:

In Reply to: Re: Srinivasa Ramanujan posted by sol on September 11, 2003 at 01:49:35:

Sol,

I think I found the source of your comment about Ramanujan's modular functions. I think it's this paper. And he says that Ramanujan's modular function had a dimension of 24 and they made the dimension of spacetime 2 greater, or 26. Is that what was bothering you?

The Ramanujan modular functions describe how the string vibrates. Those vibrations are perpendicular to the string's worldsheet. So the number of directions not in the worldsheet, 24, plus the number that are in the worldsheet, 2, make the total dimension of bosonic string theory, 26.

Of course Ramanujan knew nothing of this, any more than Buckminster Fuller knew about buckeyballs. Ramanujan used his modular functions to enable him to find remarkable formulas between mathematical constants.

Regards,
Dick

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