Joseph Plateau

Belgian physicist (1801–1883)
Person human Q379993
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Joseph Plateau

Summary

Joseph Plateau is a human[1]. He was born in Brussels[2]. He was born on October 14, 1801[3]. He passed away in Ghent[4]. He died on September 15, 1883[5]. He worked as a mathematician[6], physicist[7], university teacher[8], and postage stamp designer[9]. He ranks in the top 0.73% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (55 views/month, #7,257 of 1,000,298).[10]

Key Facts

  • Joseph Plateau's place of birth was Brussels[2].
  • Joseph Plateau passed away in Ghent[4].
  • Joseph Plateau was born on October 14, 1801[3].
  • Joseph Plateau was born on 1801[11].
  • Joseph Plateau died on September 15, 1883[5].
  • Joseph Plateau's father was Antoine Plateau[12].
  • A child of Joseph Plateau was Félix Plateau[13].
  • Joseph Plateau held citizenship in Belgium[14].
  • French was Joseph Plateau's native language[15].
  • Joseph Plateau worked as a mathematician[6].
  • Joseph Plateau's professions included physicist[7].
  • Joseph Plateau worked as a university teacher[8].
  • Joseph Plateau's professions included postage stamp designer[9].
  • Joseph Plateau's field of work was theoretical physics[16].
  • Joseph Plateau was employed by Ghent University[17].
  • Among Joseph Plateau's employers was Gaggia Institute[18].
  • Joseph Plateau's education included a stint at University of Liège[19].
  • Joseph Plateau was educated at Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts - École supérieure des Arts de la Ville de Bruxelles[20].
  • Joseph Plateau's education included a stint at Jules Bordet Royal Athenaeum[21].
  • Joseph Plateau's doctoral advisor was Adolphe Quetelet[22].
  • Joseph Plateau's doctoral advisor was Richard van Rees[23].
  • A notable student of Joseph Plateau was Gustave Van der Mensbrugghe[24].
  • A notable student of Joseph Plateau was Ernest Lamarle[25].
  • A notable work attributed to Joseph Plateau is Plateau's laws[26].
  • A notable work attributed to Joseph Plateau is Plateau's problem[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Born in Brussels[2], Joseph Plateau… Recorded date of birth include October 14, 1801[3] and 1801[11]. His father was Antoine Plateau[12]. French was his native language[15].

Education

Educated at University of Liège[19], a public university[28], in Belgium[29], founded in 1817[30]; Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts - École supérieure des Arts de la Ville de Bruxelles[20], an art academy[31], in Belgium[32], founded in 1711[33], headquartered in Brussels[34]; and Jules Bordet Royal Athenaeum[21], an atheneum[35], in Belgium[36], founded in 1802[37]. Doctoral advisors include Adolphe Quetelet[22], an astronomer[38], 1796–1874[39], of Belgium[40], awarded the Foreign Member of the Royal Society[41], specialised in mathematics[42] and Richard van Rees[23], a mathematician[43], 1797–1875[44], of Kingdom of the Netherlands[45], awarded the Commander of the Order of the Oak Crown[46].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include mathematician[6], physicist[7], university teacher[8], and postage stamp designer[9]. Joseph Plateau's field of work was theoretical physics[16]. Employers include Ghent University[17], a public university[47], in Belgium[48], founded in 1817[49], headquartered in Ghent[50] and Gaggia Institute[18]. Notable students include Gustave Van der Mensbrugghe[24], a physicist[51], 1835–1911[52], of Belgium[53] and Ernest Lamarle[25]. Doctoral students include Pierre De Heen[54], a physicist[55], 1851–1915[56] and Félix Plateau[57], a researcher[58], 1841–1911[59], of Belgium[60].

Works and Contributions

Notable works include Plateau's laws[26], a physical law[61]; Plateau's problem[27], a mathematical problem[62]; stroboscope[63]; and phénakistoscope[64]. Things named for Joseph Plateau include Plateau's problem[65], a mathematical problem[66]; Plateau's laws[67], a physical law[68]; Plateau–Rayleigh instability[69], a hydrodynamic stability[70]; and Joseph Plateau Award[71], a film award[72], in Belgium[73], founded in 1985[74].

Recognition

Awards received include Foreign Member of the Royal Society[75], a fellowship award[76], in United Kingdom[77]; Knight of the Order of Leopold[78], a grade of an order[79], in Belgium[80]; Officer of the Order of Leopold[81], a grade of an order[82], in Belgium[83]; and Commander of the Order of Leopold[84], a grade of an order[85], in Belgium[86].

Personal Life

A child of Joseph Plateau was Félix Plateau[13].

Death and Burial

Joseph Plateau died on September 15, 1883[5]. He passed away in Ghent[4].

Why It Matters

Joseph Plateau ranks in the top 0.73% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (55 views/month, #7,257 of 1,000,298).[10] He has Wikipedia articles in 25 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[87] He is known by 26 alternative names across languages and contexts.[88]

He is credited with the discovery of phénakistoscope[89] and Anorthoscope[90]. Entities named for him include Plateau's problem[65], a mathematical problem[66]; Plateau's laws[67], a physical law[68]; Plateau–Rayleigh instability[69], a hydrodynamic stability[70]; and Joseph Plateau Award[71], a film award[72], in Belgium[73], founded in 1985[74].

FAQs

Where was Joseph Plateau born?

Joseph Plateau was born in Brussels[2].

Where did Joseph Plateau die?

Joseph Plateau died in Ghent[4].

Who were Joseph Plateau's parents?

Joseph Plateau's father was Antoine Plateau[12].

What did Joseph Plateau do for work?

Joseph Plateau worked as mathematician[6], physicist[7], university teacher[8], and postage stamp designer[9].

Where did Joseph Plateau go to school?

Joseph Plateau was educated at University of Liège[19], Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts - École supérieure des Arts de la Ville de Bruxelles[20], and Jules Bordet Royal Athenaeum[21].

What awards did Joseph Plateau receive?

Honors received include Foreign Member of the Royal Society[75], Knight of the Order of Leopold[78], Officer of the Order of Leopold[81], and Commander of the Order of Leopold[84].

What did Joseph Plateau discover?

Joseph Plateau is credited as discoverer of phénakistoscope[89] and Anorthoscope[90].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  3. [12] . vaticanobservatory.org. vaticanobservatory.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  4. [14] . wikidata.org.
  5. [13] . wikidata.org.
  6. [19] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  7. [20] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  8. [21] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  9. [16] . wikidata.org.
  10. [15] . wikidata.org.
  11. [6] . wikidata.org.
  12. [7] . wikidata.org.
  13. [8] . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  14. [9] . Q132230989. Retrieved . n2t.net. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  15. [17] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  16. [18] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  17. [75] . Complete List of Royal Society Fellows 1660-2007. wikidata.org.
  18. [78] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  19. [81] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  20. [84] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  21. [22] . wikidata.org.
  22. [23] . Mathematics Genealogy Project. wikidata.org.
  23. [54] . Mathematics Genealogy Project. wikidata.org.
  24. [57] . Mathematics Genealogy Project. wikidata.org.
  25. [3] . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  26. [11] . UGentMemorialis. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  27. [5] . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  28. [26] . wikidata.org.
  29. [27] . wikidata.org.
  30. [63] . wikidata.org.
  31. [64] . wikidata.org.
  32. [24] . jstor.org. jstor.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  33. [25] . jstor.org. jstor.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [89] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [90] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [65] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [67] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [69] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [71] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [32] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [47] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [50] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [76] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [77] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [79] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [80] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [82] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [83] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [85] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [86] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [44] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [46] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  32. [55] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  33. [56] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  34. [58] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  35. [59] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  36. [60] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  37. [61] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  38. [62] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  39. [51] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  40. [52] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  41. [53] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  42. [66] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  43. [68] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  44. [70] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  45. [72] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  46. [73] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  47. [74] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [10] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [87] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [88] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

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APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Joseph Plateau. Retrieved April 19, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/joseph-plateau
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BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_joseph-plateau_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Joseph Plateau}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/joseph-plateau}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-19}}
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 16d ago · PhysVerein · 2026-05-15 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Award received Foreign Member of the Royal Society, Knight of the Order of Leopold, Officer of the Order of Leopold +1
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/31756|batch #31756]]: Ehrenmitglieder"
  2. 19d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Place of birth Brussels
    Citizenship
    Occupation mathematician, physicist, university teacher +1
    Image purged license
    + 41 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/30848|batch #30848]]: match CERL IDs on the basis of GND (5)"
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