Today marks 218th birth anniversary of Belgian physicist Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau.
This Belgian physicist and mathematician was one of the first people to demonstrate the illusion of a moving image. His research on visual perception inspired him to invent a device called the phénakistiscope, which created the illusion of a moving image. He created the stroboscopic device in 1832 after his doctoral dissertation detailed how images form on the retina, noting their exact duration, color, and intensity. Though Plateau lost his vision later in life, he continued to have a productive career in science even after becoming blind.
Google Doodle pays special tribute to Belgian physicist Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau on his 218th birth anniversary. This special doodle is a pictorial depiction of the Plateau’s genius device ‘phenakistiscope’.
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