Optical Kits from Primary Science Resource Packs
THE PHENAKISTASCOPE
The phenakistacope was invented almost simultaneously around December 1832 by the
Belgian physicist Joseph Plateau and the Austrian professor of practical geometry
Simon Stampfer.
The phénakisticope usually comes in the form of a spinning cardboard disc attached
vertically to a handle. Arrayed radially around the disc's center are a series of
pictures showing sequential phases of the animation. Small rectangular apertures
are spaced evenly around the rim of the disc. The user would spin the disc and look
through the moving slits at the images reflected in a mirror.
The phenakistoscope) was the first widespread animation device that created a fluent
illusion of motion. The phenakistiscope is regarded as one of the first forms of
moving media entertainment that paved the way for the future motion picture and film
industry. Common versions of the phénakisticope could only practically be viewed
by one person at a time.
OUR KIT
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THE ZOETROPE
William Ensign Lincoln invented the definitive zoetrope in 1865 when he was circa
18 years old and a sophomore at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island. Lincoln's
patented version had the viewing slits on a level above the pictures, which allowed
the use of easily replaceable strips of images.
The zoetrope works on the same principle as its predecessor, the phenakistoscope,
but is more convenient and allows the animation to be viewed by several people at
the same time. Instead of being radially arrayed on a disc, the sequence of pictures
depicting phases of motion is on a paper strip. For viewing, this is placed against
the inner surface of the lower part of an open-topped metal/ wood drum, the upper
part of which is provided with a vertical viewing slit across from each picture.
The drum, on a spindle base, is spun. The faster the drum is spun, the smoother the
animation appears.
OUR KIT
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THE PRAXINASCOPE
The praxinoscope was an animation device, the successor to the zoetrope. It was invented
in France in 1877 by Charles-Émile Reynaud. Like the zoetrope, it used a strip of
pictures placed around the inner surface of a spinning cylinder. The praxinoscope
improved on the zoetrope by replacing its narrow viewing slits with an inner circle
of mirrors, placed so that the reflections of the pictures appeared more or less
stationary in position as the wheel turned. Someone looking in the mirrors would
therefore see a rapid succession of images producing the illusion of motion, with
a brighter and less distorted picture than the zoetrope offered.
OUR KIT
www.primaryscienceresourcepacks.co.uk
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William Ensign Lincoln invented the definitive zoetrope in 1865 when he was circa
18 years old and a sophomore at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island. Lincoln's
patented version had the viewing slits on a level above the pictures, which allowed
the use of easily replaceable strips of images.
The zoetrope works on the same principle as its predecessor, the phenakistoscope,
but is more convenient and allows the animation to be viewed by several people at
the same time. Instead of being radially arrayed on a disc, the sequence of pictures
depicting phases of motion is on a paper strip. For viewing, this is placed against
the inner surface of the lower part of an open-topped metal/ wood drum, the upper
part of which is provided with a vertical viewing slit across from each picture.
The drum, on a spindle base, is spun. The faster the drum is spun, the smoother the
animation appears.
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The praxinoscope was an animation device, the successor to the zoetrope. It was invented
in France in 1877 by Charles-Émile Reynaud. Like the zoetrope, it used a strip of
pictures placed around the inner surface of a spinning cylinder. The praxinoscope
improved on the zoetrope by replacing its narrow viewing slits with an inner circle
of mirrors, placed so that the reflections of the pictures appeared more or less
stationary in position as the wheel turned. Someone looking in the mirrors would
therefore see a rapid succession of images producing the illusion of motion, with
a brighter and less distorted picture than the zoetrope offered.
www.primaryscienceresourcepacks.co.uk
********************************************************************************
William Ensign Lincoln invented the definitive zoetrope in 1865 when he was circa
18 years old and a sophomore at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island. Lincoln's
patented version had the viewing slits on a level above the pictures, which allowed
the use of easily replaceable strips of images.
The zoetrope works on the same principle as its predecessor, the phenakistoscope,
but is more convenient and allows the animation to be viewed by several people at
the same time. Instead of being radially arrayed on a disc, the sequence of pictures
depicting phases of motion is on a paper strip. For viewing, this is placed against
the inner surface of the lower part of an open-topped metal/ wood drum, the upper
part of which is provided with a vertical viewing slit across from each picture.
The drum, on a spindle base, is spun. The faster the drum is spun, the smoother the
animation appears.
**************************************************************
The praxinoscope was an animation device, the successor to the zoetrope. It was invented
in France in 1877 by Charles-Émile Reynaud. Like the zoetrope, it used a strip of
pictures placed around the inner surface of a spinning cylinder. The praxinoscope
improved on the zoetrope by replacing its narrow viewing slits with an inner circle
of mirrors, placed so that the reflections of the pictures appeared more or less
stationary in position as the wheel turned. Someone looking in the mirrors would
therefore see a rapid succession of images producing the illusion of motion, with
a brighter and less distorted picture than the zoetrope offered.
www.primaryscienceresourcepacks.co.uk