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Phenakistoscope
The phenakistoscope is an invention that can be dated back to 1832. Joseph Plateau first invented it with his songs, but the phenakistoscope was also invented independently the same time by Simon von Stampfer in Austria. Plateau was initially inspired by Michael Faraday, who created “Michael Faraday's Wheel,” a wheel that is spun by the use of electrons moving through a magnetic field. Plateau used this invention to create a toy that he then dubbed the phenakistoscope.
Phenakistoscopes went on to be a success, and were a patented toy for years to come. Companies like Disney began creating phenakistoscopes for their viewers, and still make them today. Disneyland has a large zoetrope (a three dimensional version of a phenakistoscope) running in their park, along with multiple phenakistoscopes that park-goers can go and view.2 Large art companies, such as juxtapoz, have revisited the historic art form, and created new phenakistoscopes that are more complex, and creative. The German Institute for Animation also offers a class for creating phenakistoscopes that are complex in images, and animation. The art form has remained through the years, and the question is: How will it continue to shape animation in modern society? New forms of animation might result from direct influence from the historic art form, and the complexity of phenakistoscopes will continue to develop through the years.
The math behind phenakistoscopes is simple. Still frames of an object’s successive movement are placed chronologically around a disk. Each picture is placed at a specific angle around the center of the disk. You can solve for this angle by taking the number of frames, and dividing that number from 360 degrees. The disk is then spun at a constant speed, and the still images simulate a moving object. “In this transition from still to life, the phenakistoscope illustrates the way that time is central to visual perception and the cognitive processing of images.” The first phenakistoscopes were made on Faraday Wheels (the first electric generator). The Faraday Wheel takes a free-hanging wire, and dips it in a pool of mercury. A magnet is then placed below the wire, and a current is ran through the wire. The magnetic field produced by the magnet forces the charged wire to then spin in a circular motion, which a wheel is then placed on.
Of the eight mathematical practices, we used six. The first we used was reason abstractly and quantitatively. While creating the disks, we had to use reason to place the images equidistantly. We reasoned by taking the number of frames we had (twelve) and dividing that number from 360 degrees. We then rotated the first image by zero degrees, then the next one by 360/12 (30), then rotating the third image by 30+30 (60), then rotated the fourth image by 60+30 (120), then rotating the fourth image by 120+30 (150), and so on. We came up with this process by using only reasoning.
The second of the eight mathematical practices we used was use appropriate tools strategically. We knew that the best looking product would be if we animated our phenakistoscopes online, so we did just that. We used photoshop to animate the disk rotating so that the still frames imitated a moving object. We knew that the best tool for what we wanted was photoshop, since we know how to use it, and we could complete the process using this program. Now we can even post the animations on our dps.
The third of the eight mathematical practices we used was attending to precision. Since each frame had to be placed perfectly on the disk, we knew we had to attend to precision. Also, we had to draw the individual frames precisely so that when they were put in motion, the frames would look like they were actual steps of the object moving. Attention to precision is what makes our project work.
The fourth of the eight mathematical practices we used was looking for and making use of structure. Once we made our first draft, we came up with a specific structure to making these phenakistoscopes. We first had to draw out each frame in order, then place them properly on the disk (as explained above), then finally animate the disk using the animate function on photoshop. We would make each frame viewable for 0.1 seconds, so one full rotation takes 1.2 seconds.
The fifth of the eight mathematical practices we used was making sense of problems, and persevere in solving them. The main problem that came up was that when we finished our second phenakistoscope, the person looked like he was jumping around. It took forever to figure out why, but we found out that the original circle we had wasn’t divided into equal pieces, so the faces were not placed evenly in the center of each slice. We had to persevere by going back, repositioning each frame again, then animating the disk again, which took about an extra hour or two of time. In the end, it was worth the extra work, though.
The sixth, and final of the eight mathematical practice we used was looking for and expressing regularity in repeated reasoning. We immediately saw regularity by using reasoning in phenakistoscopes. To make the object seem like they are moving away from the center, we had to place each frame further from the center than its predecessor. To make the object seem like its moving towards the center, we would just do the opposite. We found that these tricks are used regularly in the creation of phenakistoscopes.
We could have used the other two mathematical practices, though. We could have modeled with mathematics by creating a ratio of the speed the disk my spin to the number of frames. We also could have modeled with mathematics by displaying the equation: 360/number of frames=number of degrees each frame must be rotated. We could have constructed viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others by having our peer help us develop ideas for our phenakistoscopes, and critique each idea on what the images are, and how they would be created.
Phenakistoscopes went on to be a success, and were a patented toy for years to come. Companies like Disney began creating phenakistoscopes for their viewers, and still make them today. Disneyland has a large zoetrope (a three dimensional version of a phenakistoscope) running in their park, along with multiple phenakistoscopes that park-goers can go and view.2 Large art companies, such as juxtapoz, have revisited the historic art form, and created new phenakistoscopes that are more complex, and creative. The German Institute for Animation also offers a class for creating phenakistoscopes that are complex in images, and animation. The art form has remained through the years, and the question is: How will it continue to shape animation in modern society? New forms of animation might result from direct influence from the historic art form, and the complexity of phenakistoscopes will continue to develop through the years.
The math behind phenakistoscopes is simple. Still frames of an object’s successive movement are placed chronologically around a disk. Each picture is placed at a specific angle around the center of the disk. You can solve for this angle by taking the number of frames, and dividing that number from 360 degrees. The disk is then spun at a constant speed, and the still images simulate a moving object. “In this transition from still to life, the phenakistoscope illustrates the way that time is central to visual perception and the cognitive processing of images.” The first phenakistoscopes were made on Faraday Wheels (the first electric generator). The Faraday Wheel takes a free-hanging wire, and dips it in a pool of mercury. A magnet is then placed below the wire, and a current is ran through the wire. The magnetic field produced by the magnet forces the charged wire to then spin in a circular motion, which a wheel is then placed on.
Of the eight mathematical practices, we used six. The first we used was reason abstractly and quantitatively. While creating the disks, we had to use reason to place the images equidistantly. We reasoned by taking the number of frames we had (twelve) and dividing that number from 360 degrees. We then rotated the first image by zero degrees, then the next one by 360/12 (30), then rotating the third image by 30+30 (60), then rotated the fourth image by 60+30 (120), then rotating the fourth image by 120+30 (150), and so on. We came up with this process by using only reasoning.
The second of the eight mathematical practices we used was use appropriate tools strategically. We knew that the best looking product would be if we animated our phenakistoscopes online, so we did just that. We used photoshop to animate the disk rotating so that the still frames imitated a moving object. We knew that the best tool for what we wanted was photoshop, since we know how to use it, and we could complete the process using this program. Now we can even post the animations on our dps.
The third of the eight mathematical practices we used was attending to precision. Since each frame had to be placed perfectly on the disk, we knew we had to attend to precision. Also, we had to draw the individual frames precisely so that when they were put in motion, the frames would look like they were actual steps of the object moving. Attention to precision is what makes our project work.
The fourth of the eight mathematical practices we used was looking for and making use of structure. Once we made our first draft, we came up with a specific structure to making these phenakistoscopes. We first had to draw out each frame in order, then place them properly on the disk (as explained above), then finally animate the disk using the animate function on photoshop. We would make each frame viewable for 0.1 seconds, so one full rotation takes 1.2 seconds.
The fifth of the eight mathematical practices we used was making sense of problems, and persevere in solving them. The main problem that came up was that when we finished our second phenakistoscope, the person looked like he was jumping around. It took forever to figure out why, but we found out that the original circle we had wasn’t divided into equal pieces, so the faces were not placed evenly in the center of each slice. We had to persevere by going back, repositioning each frame again, then animating the disk again, which took about an extra hour or two of time. In the end, it was worth the extra work, though.
The sixth, and final of the eight mathematical practice we used was looking for and expressing regularity in repeated reasoning. We immediately saw regularity by using reasoning in phenakistoscopes. To make the object seem like they are moving away from the center, we had to place each frame further from the center than its predecessor. To make the object seem like its moving towards the center, we would just do the opposite. We found that these tricks are used regularly in the creation of phenakistoscopes.
We could have used the other two mathematical practices, though. We could have modeled with mathematics by creating a ratio of the speed the disk my spin to the number of frames. We also could have modeled with mathematics by displaying the equation: 360/number of frames=number of degrees each frame must be rotated. We could have constructed viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others by having our peer help us develop ideas for our phenakistoscopes, and critique each idea on what the images are, and how they would be created.
Sources
"Phenakistoscope." Phenakistoscope. North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, n.d. Web. 31 May 2014.Pugh, Tison, and Susan Lynn.
Aronstein. The Disney Middle Ages: A Fairy-tale and Fantasy past. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Print.
Trubin, Julian. "Michael Faraday: The Invention of the Electric Motor and Electric Generator." Michael Faraday: The Invention of the Electric Motor and Electric Generator. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2014.
Aronstein. The Disney Middle Ages: A Fairy-tale and Fantasy past. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Print.
Trubin, Julian. "Michael Faraday: The Invention of the Electric Motor and Electric Generator." Michael Faraday: The Invention of the Electric Motor and Electric Generator. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2014.
Reflection
The biggest challenge I faced was getting materials. Since I was absent during the week that everyone was listing the materials they needed, I was unable to get materials that were vital to completing our project. While this did hold me back, I did find a way around it. I decided to make our phenakistoscope digital instead of physical, by animating the wheel turning online, like many of the pictures of phenakistoscopes found online. This turned out well, and our product did turn out just as good as I had hoped.
I knew I was done with my final product when I played the animation back for the first time, and it worked. I had to go back, and move a few frames around just by a few pixels to make sure that everything was precise, but I knew that when I saw it working, it was done. Since everything was positioned precisely enough to the point that the frames looked like they were moving, I knew that I was proud of my work, and that it is presentable.
Literacy was involved through the write-up. We had to precisely describe our project, how it works, the history of it, the process of creating it, the mathematics involved in it, and future implications in one write-up. We also had to cite our sources in MLA format.
Before completing this project, I had relatively no knowledge behind the beginning of animation. Now I understand the process of how animation was creative, and the important factors behind producing it. One large concept that I now recognize is how precise animation has to be. Every image has to be positioned and drawn so precisely so that the movement looks smooth. The other thing that I now understand is how time plays an important role in animation. The speed that the frames are playing back in relation to the type of movement the subject is doing has to coordinate. For example, you can’t draw a person running quickly and play it back slowly-- the movement just looks wrong. I had to redo one of the phenakistoscopes because of this.
The biggest thing that has changed about how I think through problems is mainly presented by the question: “How can I make sure that when I solve this problem, I solve it properly the first time?” Every time I went back to fix a problem with my phenakistoscopes, a new one would arise. Small problems would come up like how the initial circle I made did not have the proper angles of measure. Now, when I see a problem that is more complicated, my goal is to solve it properly the first time. I do this by thinking of what issues might arise with certain methods of solving the problem, then trying to treat them preventatively, instead of waiting until it becomes a larger-scaled issue.
One question I still have about my topic is how will phenakistoscopes be used in the future? Art schools have been giving students the assignment of making phenakistoscopes. I am curious if this assignment might grow to the point where there will be art exhibitions showing only phenakistoscopes. On a wider scale, phenakistoscopes have also been displayed at parks such as Disneyland. Will these amusement parks continue in displaying this art-form, and possibly make a sectioned off area for phenakistoscopes, including similar products? I just want to know how will the art of phenakistoscopes grow in the future?
The biggest revisions I would make would be to my product. I would want to add a more intricate background to each of the phenakistoscopes. If you look at phenakistoscopes online, you can see that some of the better looking ones have moving backgrounds to accompany the moving subjects. I wanted to do this on mine, but there simply was not enough time to do this. If I had time to go back, I would design a unique one for each of mine, and re-animate the phenakistoscopes.
I knew I was done with my final product when I played the animation back for the first time, and it worked. I had to go back, and move a few frames around just by a few pixels to make sure that everything was precise, but I knew that when I saw it working, it was done. Since everything was positioned precisely enough to the point that the frames looked like they were moving, I knew that I was proud of my work, and that it is presentable.
Literacy was involved through the write-up. We had to precisely describe our project, how it works, the history of it, the process of creating it, the mathematics involved in it, and future implications in one write-up. We also had to cite our sources in MLA format.
Before completing this project, I had relatively no knowledge behind the beginning of animation. Now I understand the process of how animation was creative, and the important factors behind producing it. One large concept that I now recognize is how precise animation has to be. Every image has to be positioned and drawn so precisely so that the movement looks smooth. The other thing that I now understand is how time plays an important role in animation. The speed that the frames are playing back in relation to the type of movement the subject is doing has to coordinate. For example, you can’t draw a person running quickly and play it back slowly-- the movement just looks wrong. I had to redo one of the phenakistoscopes because of this.
The biggest thing that has changed about how I think through problems is mainly presented by the question: “How can I make sure that when I solve this problem, I solve it properly the first time?” Every time I went back to fix a problem with my phenakistoscopes, a new one would arise. Small problems would come up like how the initial circle I made did not have the proper angles of measure. Now, when I see a problem that is more complicated, my goal is to solve it properly the first time. I do this by thinking of what issues might arise with certain methods of solving the problem, then trying to treat them preventatively, instead of waiting until it becomes a larger-scaled issue.
One question I still have about my topic is how will phenakistoscopes be used in the future? Art schools have been giving students the assignment of making phenakistoscopes. I am curious if this assignment might grow to the point where there will be art exhibitions showing only phenakistoscopes. On a wider scale, phenakistoscopes have also been displayed at parks such as Disneyland. Will these amusement parks continue in displaying this art-form, and possibly make a sectioned off area for phenakistoscopes, including similar products? I just want to know how will the art of phenakistoscopes grow in the future?
The biggest revisions I would make would be to my product. I would want to add a more intricate background to each of the phenakistoscopes. If you look at phenakistoscopes online, you can see that some of the better looking ones have moving backgrounds to accompany the moving subjects. I wanted to do this on mine, but there simply was not enough time to do this. If I had time to go back, I would design a unique one for each of mine, and re-animate the phenakistoscopes.