Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau 218th Birth Anniversary Google Doodle: Belgian Physicist Who Invented 'Phénakistiscope' Honoured by Search Engine Giant!
Joseph Plateau was one of the first people to demonstrate the illusion of a moving image. Google has honoured Belgian physicist Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau on his 218th birth anniversary. He invented a device called "phénakistiscope", which created a fluid illusion of motion. In today's world, it could be something like a gif. This led to the birth of cinema.
Search engine giant, Google is honouring the birth anniversary of Belgian physicist Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau on his 218th birth anniversary. Born on October 14, 1801, in Brussels, Joseph Plateau was one of the first people to demonstrate the illusion of a moving image. Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau had invented a device called "phénakistiscope", which created a fluid illusion of motion. In today's world, it could be something like a GIF. It was the phénakistiscope (Phenakistiscope) that led to the birth of cinema. Inspired by the mesmerizing animated discs, the animated Doodle art was made to reflect Plateau’s style. The Google doodle is created by animator, filmmaker, and Doodler Olivia Huynh with inspiration along with the help of Diana Tran and Tom Tabanao. Lev Landau 111th Birth Anniversary: Google Honours Soviet-Era Physicist With Special Doodle.
Plateau's father was a talented flower painter. He became one of the best-known Belgian scientists of the nineteenth century after studying law. He was remembered for his study of physiological optics, particularly the effect of light and colour on the human retina.
In 1827 Plateau became a teacher of mathematics at the "Atheneum" school in Brussels. He graduated as a doctor of physical and mathematical sciences in 1829. In 1835, he was appointed Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at Ghent University. In 1829 Plateau submitted his doctoral thesis to his mentor Adolphe Quetelet for advice. It contained only 27 pages, but formulated a great number of fundamental conclusions. Plateau’s doctoral dissertation detailed how images form on the retina, noting their exact duration, colour, and intensity.
Video of Google Doodle on Joseph Plateau:
Based on these conclusions, he was able to create a stroboscopic device in 1832, fitted with two discs that rotated in opposite directions. One disc was filled with small windows, evenly spaced in a circle, while the other had a series of pictures of a dancer. When both discs turned at exactly the right speed, the images seemed to merge, creating the illusion of a dancer in motion. Kamini Roy's 155th Birth Anniversary: Google Doodle Honours Bengali Poet, Feminist And Social Reformer!
Even after losing his vision later in life, Plateau continued to have a productive career in science, He worked as a professor of experimental physics at Ghent University after becoming blind. His colleagues that included his son Felix Plateau and his son-in-law Gustaaf Van der Mensbrugghe helped Plateau alot. Plateau also studied the phenomena of capillary action and surface tension.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 14, 2019 10:20 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).