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Carlos Benjamin de Lyra
Brazilian mathematician / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Carlos Benjamin de Lyra (Pernambuco, 23 November 1927 – São Paulo, 21 July 1974) was a prominent Brazilian mathematician, a pioneer in algebraic topology in Brazil and professor at the University of São Paulo.[1][2][3][4]
Carlos Benjamin de Lyra | |
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Born | (1927-11-23)November 23, 1927 |
Died | July 21, 1974(1974-07-21) (aged 46) |
Nationality | Brazilian |
Alma mater | Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras, University of São Paulo |
Occupation(s) | Mathematician, university professor |
Employer(s) | University of São Paulo, Instituto de Matemática e Estatística |
Spouse | Leda Lacerda de Lyra |
Children | Jorge Lacerda de Lyra, Sylvia Lacerda de Lyra, Eduardo Lacerda de Lyra |
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Born in Recife, Pernambuco, he came from a family of sugarcane plantation owners and his dad was the owner of the Diário de Pernambuco, a newspaper that was known nationwide.[1][2] Lyra was an important mathematician in his area, his course Introdução à Topologia Algébrica was taught in the first Colóquio Brasileiro de Matemática[3] and would become the first text in this field written in Brazilian Portuguese.[1]
After the death of his father, his mother married a Wall Street stockbroker and, together, the couple moved to New York City with Lyra and his younger brother.[1][2] When he was 15, in the suburbs of the city where he lived, he met Richard Courant. The founder of the presently named Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences was responsible for inspiring de Lyra to study mathematics.[1]
Lyra made a substantial career for himself throughout his life. Beginning as associate professor at the University of São Paulo alongside Elza Gomide, he helped to organize and administrate a course in the 1° Colóquio Brasileiro de Matemática, he became a doctor in Mathematics with his thesis Sobre os espaços de mesmo tipo de homotopia que o dos poliedros, he was one of the founders of the Sociedade Brasileira de Matemática, he was involved in the creation of the Instituto de Matemática e Estatística at the University of São Paulo (IME-USP), taught as a professor in a variety of courses, and participated in the restructuring of the undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Mathematics at the University of São Paulo.[1][3][4]
On the 21st of July 1974, Carlos Benjamin de Lyra died due to a brain tumour. His thesis H-equivalencia de grupos topológicos, was revised and published by his friend Peter Hilton.[3] In his honor, the library at the IME-USP bears his name, along with a road in the Chácara São João neighbourhood, in the capital of São Paulo.