On the occasion of National Mathematics Day, a query has been raised: why is 1729 deemed a special number? Can the apt answer be available in these typed lines? Undeniably, it is a natural number following 1728 and preceding 1730.
It can be a taxicab number. It is variously known both as Ramanujan’s number and the Ramanujan-Hardy number, after an anecdote of British mathematician GH Hardy on his visit to Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan in a hospital.
So, it has been nearly proved that it is the Hardy-Ramanujan number; it is the smallest number that can be expressed as the sum of two different cubes in two different ways. Thus, it is the sum of the cubes of 10 and 9 — i.e. 1,000 and 729. The sum of the two numbers comes out to be 1729.
What does the number 1729 mean? Does this number have any specific mathematical reason?
It is a spiritual number given its attributes of the numbers 1, 7, 2 and 9, and it brings a powerful message of introspection and expectations unduly. It encourages not one but many of us to put our best foot forward in all that we prefer to do. One can set an example for others as well. It is our constant strive towards making a better life on the living planet. So, it is even better for us to remain aware of the positive approach towards life. Our dreams should always be bigger than our fears and our actions must be louder than our words.
Another fascinating aspect of the number 1729 is that it relates to Angel number 1: (1+7+2+9=19, 1+9=10, 1+0=1)