Can The Man Who Knew Infinity Be Used In Math Classes?

I still get a little choked up watching the scene where Ramanujan writes down a formula and Hardy reads it aloud—so yes, the film is a powerful motivational tool. For younger learners it's a conversation starter: talk about the story, then do a simple classroom activity like exploring patterns in triangular numbers or small partitions. For older students, use the movie to introduce topics like infinite series or modular ideas, but be careful to point out historical inaccuracies.

Pairing the movie with a short reading from primary sources or a brief worksheet that challenges students to find which scenes are dramatized helps turn emotion into learning. Personally, I prefer showing clips and following up with hands-on math and a research prompt — that mix keeps the human story vivid while anchoring it to real math and history.

Watching 'The Man Who Knew Infinity' in a classroom is like giving students a map before asking them to explore a cave: the film shows the path and mood, but you still need to guide the exploration. I once had a group of undergraduates who came away more motivated after seeing the movie, but their technical understanding required structured follow-up. My go-to flow is: 1) watch selected scenes (not necessarily the whole movie), 2) read a short primary excerpt or biographical sketch on Ramanujan, 3) work through a hands-on activity that demonstrates a mathematical theme from the film, and 4) have students present what surprised them about the mathematics versus the storytelling.

Concrete activities I recommend include simple experiments with infinite series convergence, modular arithmetic teasers that hint at Ramanujan’s congruences, and a low-barrier coding exercise to compute partitions p(n) for small n. Also invite students to reflect on mentorship, bias, and access in mathematics — those discussions often matter more to long-term engagement than a particular theorem. The film is a tool: used thoughtfully it can humanize math and motivate genuine inquiry, but it must be scaffolded so students don't confuse dramatic license with mathematical truth.

If I had a middle- or high-school class in front of me I'd absolutely use 'The Man Who Knew Infinity' as a springboard, but not as a textbook substitute. The movie is emotional and offers great context: the clash of cultures, the stubbornness of mathematical intuition, and the mentorship dynamic. Those themes are gold for classroom discussion about how math gets done and who gets to participate in it.

I like to assign a short worksheet after viewing that asks students to identify at least two dramatized events versus historical facts, then tackle one concrete math idea from the film—say, exploring a simple divergent series or experimenting with integer partitions using counters or code. For older students, a mini-research assignment on Ramanujan's congruences (presented intuitively) can bridge to higher concepts. It’s crucial to be transparent about what the film softens or omits, and to pair it with primary-source excerpts or short readings so kids learn to be curious and critical at the same time.

I've used films as openings for tricky units before, and 'The Man Who Knew Infinity' works really well as a hook if you frame it right.

Start by showing a short clip or summary about Srinivasa Ramanujan and G. H. Hardy to spark curiosity — students usually latch onto the human story faster than the symbols. Follow up with a short reading or guided discussion that separates fact from dramatization: who was Ramanujan, what kind of math did he do, and what parts of the movie are inventions for narrative tension. Then move into math activities that are accessible: play with simple infinite series, partitions of integers, or examples of surprising numerical identities. These let students feel a bit of Ramanujan-like wonder without needing graduate-level theory.

I also like pairing the film with reflective prompts — write a short piece about intuition versus proof, or research how cultural and institutional barriers affected Ramanujan's journey. In my experience this turns a one-off movie showing into a week of interdisciplinary exploration, and kids walk away remembering the ideas rather than just the scenes.