Leopold Vietoris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Leopold Vietoris
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Leopold Vietoris on his 110th birthday
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| Born | 4 June 1891 |
| Died | 9 April 2002 (aged 110 years, 309 days) |
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Alma mater | TU Wien University of Vienna |
| Known for | Contributions to topology Being a supercentenarian |
| Spouse(s) | Klara Riccabona (m. 1928–1935) (her death) Maria Josefa Vincentia Vietoris, born von Riccabona zu Reichenfels (m. 1936–2002) (her death) |
| Children | 6 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | University of Innsbruck |
| Doctoral advisors | Gustav Ritter von Escherich Wilhelm Wirtinger |
Leopold Vietoris (born June 4, 1891 – died April 9, 2002) was an Austrian mathematician. He was also a veteran of World War I and lived to be over 100 years old, making him a supercentenarian. He was born in Radkersburg and passed away in Innsbruck.
Vietoris was famous for his work in a field of mathematics called topology. This area of math studies shapes and spaces, and how they connect. He also loved the history of mathematics and was a very keen alpinist, meaning he enjoyed mountain climbing.
About Leopold Vietoris
Leopold Vietoris started his studies in mathematics and geometry at the Vienna University of Technology.
In 1914, he was called to serve in World War I. He was wounded in September of that year. Just one week before the war officially ended in November 1918, he became a Italian prisoner of war. After the war, he returned to Austria. He then went to the University of Vienna, where he earned his PhD in 1920. His main teachers for his PhD were Gustav von Escherich and Wilhelm Wirtinger.
In 1928, he married his first wife, Klara Riccabona. They had six daughters together. After Klara passed away, he married her sister, Maria Riccabona, in 1936.
Leopold Vietoris had a large family. He was survived by his six daughters, 17 grandchildren, and 30 great-grandchildren.
Several mathematical ideas are named after him because of his important work:
- Vietoris topology (a way to understand spaces in math)
- Vietoris homology (a tool used to study shapes)
- Mayer–Vietoris sequence (a special sequence of mathematical groups)
- Vietoris–Begle mapping theorem (a theorem about how shapes can be mapped)
- Vietoris–Rips complex (a way to build shapes from points)
Leopold Vietoris stayed active in science even when he was very old. He even wrote a paper on complex math problems when he was 103 years old!
He lived to be 110 years and 309 days old. This made him the oldest verified Austrian man ever.
Awards and Honors
Leopold Vietoris received many important awards for his contributions:
- 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)
