Charles Wheatstone

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Sir Charles Wheatstone FRS FRSE
Sketch of Wheatstone by Samuel Laurence, 1868
Born	(1802-02-06)6 February 1802 Barnwood, Gloucester, England
Died	19 October 1875(1875-10-19) (aged 73) Paris, French Third Republic
Known for	Wheatstone bridge Wheatstone system Wheatstone–Playfair cipher Wheatstone ABC telegraph Cooke and Wheatstone telegraph Kaleidophone Potentiometer Pseudoscope Stereoscope
Awards	Royal Medal (1840, 1843) Albert Medal (1867) Copley Medal (1868)
Scientific career
Fields	Physics
Institutions	King's College London

Sir Charles Wheatstone (/ˈwiːtstən/;^[1] 6 February 1802 – 19 October 1875) was an English physicist and inventor best known for his contributions to the development of the Wheatstone bridge, originally invented by Samuel Hunter Christie, which is used to measure an unknown electrical resistance, and as a major figure in the development of telegraphy. His other contributions include the English concertina, the stereoscope (a device for displaying three-dimensional images) and the Playfair cipher (an encryption technique).