Joseph Plateau was a 19th century Belgian physicist and professor who created the phenakistoscope, one of the first animation devices, which used a spinning disk with sequential drawings that gave the illusion of motion when viewed through slots. The phenakistoscope demonstrated Plateau's interest in the physics of vision and how the retina perceives movement, allowing him to be the first to show moving images through his invention of this early animation device.

1. Joseph Plateau
&
The Phenakistocope

2. Background & Information
- He was fascinated by physics & their experiments
- Intrigued by luminous impressions he performed an experiment which affected him in
later life
- He graduated from university as a doctor of physical and mathematical sciences
- He was later appointed Professor of experimental physics at Ghent university
- Looking into mathematical science and the effects of the retina he produced the first
device to give an illusion of a moving image.

3. The Phenakistocope
- first person to demonstrate the illusion of moving images
- uses a spinning disk attached to a vertical handle and shows the motion of an
object such as an animal leaping or turning
- Around the centre of the disk are drawings of the same subject
- Slight changes are made in each image so when the disk is spun the images
create a single moving picture.

4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JeN3uk2ClE

5. • Sources
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Plateau
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JeN3uk2
ClE