- Joseph Plateau
Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau (
October 14 ,1801 –September 15 ,1883 ) was a Belgianphysicist .Born in
Brussels , he studied at theUniversity of Liège (Liège), where he graduated as a doctor of physical and mathematical sciences in 1829. In 1835, he was appointed Professor of experimental physics inGhent University . In 1836, Plateau invented an early stroboscopic device, the "phenakistiscope ". It consisted of two disks, one with small equidistant radial windows, through which the viewer could look, and another containing a sequence of images. When the two disks rotated at the correct speed, the synchronization of the windows and the images created an animated effect. The projection of stroboscopic photographs, creating the illusion of motion, eventually led to the development of cinema.Plateau also studied the phenomena of
capillary action andsurface tension ("Statique expérimentale et théorique des liquides soumis aux seules forces moléculaires", 1873). The mathematical problem of existence of aminimal surface with a given boundary is named for him. He conducted extensive studies of soap films and formulatedPlateau's laws which describe the structures formed by such films in foams.Fascinated by the persistence of luminous impressions on the
retina , he performed an experiment in which he gazed directly into thesun for 25 seconds. Consequently, he lost his eyesight later in his life. He died inGhent .References and further reading
* [http://www.roentzsch.org/Rayleigh/index.html Plateau-Rayleigh instability - a 3D-lattice kinetic Monte Carlo simulation]
*CathEncy|wstitle=Joseph-Antoine Plateau
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