Study Guides/Biology/Crescograph
Study Guide · Biology

What is a Crescograph? (Invention of J.C. Bose)

The Crescograph is a highly sensitive scientific instrument invented in the early 20th century to measure the growth of plants.

Question (Click to Flip)

What is a crescograph used for?

Answer

A crescograph is a scientific instrument used to measure and highly magnify the minute growth of plants.

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Key Facts

Instrument: Crescograph.

Inventor: Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose (Indian scientist).

Purpose: To measure and magnify the growth of plants (up to 10,000x).

Discovery: Proved that plants respond to external stimuli (heat, cold, poison).

Who Invented It?

It was invented by the brilliant Indian physicist and botanist, Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose (J.C. Bose), in the early 1900s.

How Does It Work?

Plant growth is incredibly slow — invisible to the naked eye. The crescograph used a series of clockwork gears and a smoked glass plate to magnify the microscopic movements of plant growth by up to 10,000 times.

With this magnification, Bose could literally watch a plant grow in real-time.

Scientific Importance

Using the crescograph, J.C. Bose proved to the world that plants have life, feelings, and react to stimuli. He showed that plants grow faster in warm, pleasant conditions and their growth slows down or stops when exposed to toxins, cold, or physical shock. This was a revolutionary breakthrough in plant biology.

Questions and Answers

What is a crescograph used for?+

A crescograph is a scientific instrument used to measure and highly magnify the minute growth of plants.

Who invented the crescograph?+

The crescograph was invented by the pioneering Indian scientist Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose.

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