https://spectrum.ieee.org/fresnel-lens-milestone
"Ships today use satellite-based radio navigation, GPS, and other tools to
prevent accidents. But back at the beginning of the 19th century, lighthouses
guided ships away from rocky shores using an oil lamp placed between a concave
mirror and a glass lens to produce a beam of light.
The mirrors were not very effective, though, and the lenses were murky. The
light was difficult to see from a distance on a clear night, let alone in heavy
fog or a storm.
In 1822 French civil engineer Augustin-Jean Fresnel (pronounced “Frey Nel”)
invented a new type of lens that produced a much stronger beam of light. The
Fresnel lens is still used today in active lighthouses around the world. It
also can be found in movie projectors, magnifying glasses, spacecraft, and
other applications.
Fresnel’s technical achievement is worthy of being named an IEEE Milestone,
according to the IEEE History Center, but no one has proposed it yet. Any IEEE
member can submit a milestone proposal to the IEEE History Center. The
Milestone program honors significant accomplishments in the history of
electrical and electronics engineering."
Via Esther Schindler.
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
