Leopold Vietoris
Austrian topologist
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Leopold Vietoris (/viːˈtɔːrɪs/ vee-TOR-iss; German: [ˈleːopɔlt viːˈtoːʁɪs], Austrian German: [ˈleːopɔld viːˈtoːrɪs]; 4 June 1891 – 9 April 2002) was an Austrian mathematician, World War I veteran and supercentenarian. He was born in Radkersburg and died in Innsbruck.
University of Vienna
Being a supercentenarian
Leopold Vietoris | |
|---|---|
Vietoris on his 110th birthday in 2001 | |
| Born | 4 June 1891 |
| Died | 9 April 2002 (aged 110 years, 309 days) |
| Alma mater | TU Wien University of Vienna |
| Known for | Contributions to topology Being a supercentenarian |
| Spouse(s) |
Klara Riccabona
(m. 1928; died 1935)Maria Josefa Vincentia von Riccabona zu Reichenfels
(m. 1936; died 2002) |
| Children | 6 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | University of Innsbruck |
| Gustav Ritter von Escherich Wilhelm Wirtinger | |
He was known for his contributions to topology—notably the Mayer–Vietoris sequence—and other fields of mathematics, his interest in mathematical history, and for being a keen alpinist.
Biography
Vietoris studied mathematics and geometry at the Vienna University of Technology.[1] He was drafted in 1914 in World War I and was wounded in September that same year.[1] On 4 November 1918, one week before the Armistice of Villa Giusti, he became an Italian prisoner of war.[1] After returning to Austria, he attended the University of Vienna, where he earned his PhD in 1920, with a thesis written under the supervision of Gustav von Escherich and Wilhelm Wirtinger.[1][2]
In autumn 1928 he married his first wife Klara Riccabona, who later died while giving birth to their sixth daughter.[1] In 1936 he married Klara's sister, Maria Riccabona.[1]
Vietoris was survived by his six daughters, 17 grandchildren, and 30 great-grandchildren.[3]
He lends his name to a few mathematical concepts:
- Vietoris topology
- Vietoris homology (see homology theory)
- Mayer–Vietoris sequence
- Vietoris–Begle mapping theorem
- Vietoris–Rips complex
Vietoris remained scientifically active in his later years, even writing one paper on trigonometric sums at the age of 103.[4]
Vietoris lived to be 110 years and 309 days old, and became the oldest verified Austrian man ever.[5]
Decorations and awards
- Austrian Decoration for Science and Art (1973)
- Grand Gold Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria (1981)
- Honorary member of the German Mathematical Society (1992)