Google creates Doodle for 218th birth anniversary of Physicist Plateau

On Monday, Google celebrated the 218th birth anniversary of renowned Belgian physicist Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau, whose research on visual perception inspired him to invent a device he called the phénakistiscope, which led to the birth of cinema by creating the illusion of a moving image. Plateau was born on 14 October 1801 in the city of Brussels in Belgium.

READ | Soon After Seeing The First Black Hole's Picture, Physicists Prove Stephen Hawking's Theory On 'Black Hole Evaporation'

Plateau became one of the best-known Belgian scientists of the 19th century

Inspired by the mesmerising animated discs, the animated Doodle art was made to reflect Plateau’s style, with different imagery and themes in them on different device platforms. Born in Brussels on this day in 1801, Plateau was the son of an accomplished artist who specialized in painting flowers. After studying law, young Plateau became one of the best-known Belgian scientists of the nineteenth century, remembered for his study of physiological optics, particularly the effect of light and colour on the human retina. 

READ | Scientists Create 'vaccine' Gel To Prevent Wildfires In Vegetations

He created a stroboscopic device

Plateau’s doctoral dissertation detailed how images form on the retina, noting their exact duration, colour, and intensity. 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. Though Plateau lost his vision later in life, he continued to have a productive career in science even after becoming blind, working as a professor of experimental physics at Ghent University with the help of colleagues that included his son Felix Plateau and his son-in-law Gustaaf Van der Mensbrugghe.

READ | Scientists Create World's Strongest Silver

Royal Society paid homage to Belgian physicist

The Royal Society is a Fellowship of the world's most eminent scientists and is the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence.

ACMI paid their respects too

READ | Indian Scientists Measure Van Der Waals Force, Use Laser

(With Agency inputs)