JACQUES CHARLES: BIOGRAPHY AND CONTRIBUTIONS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

Jacques Charles (1746-1823) was a French physicist, chemist, mathematician, inventor, aeronaut, and academic recognized for the invention of the hydrogen gas-powered hot air balloon, in collaboration with the Robert brothers.

This artifact allowed him to cross the French sky in the first flight manned by a human to more than a kilometer high, surpassing the model proposed by the Montgolfiers years before in distance traveled, height and time spent in the air.

His scientific relationship with the Robert brothers was very prolific, allowing Charles to design and develop some main parts and elements of the hot air balloon, as it is known in the modern era.

Through his research in the area of ​​aeronautics related to propulsion with flammable gases, in this case hydrogen, Charles was able to shed light on what is now known as Charles's Law, this being his most outstanding contribution to physics..

Biography

Jacques Alexandre César Charles was born in the small town of Beaugency, located in Loiret, France, on November 12, 1746.

Very little information is handled about his family and environment. What is known is that his education was rather free with very little approach to science, although he had access to the study of basic mathematics and some simple experiments.

In his youth he moved to Paris, where one of his first jobs was a small position in a finance office of the city's Ministry of Finance, a position he held until a government crisis caused him to be removed from it.

Influence of Benjamin Franklin

Later, in 1779 Benjamin Franklin visited the French capital as ambassador to the United States, which was a great event for Charles, since he was attracted to Franklin's research and inventions. This marked the beginning of his interest in experimental scientific study.

Only eighteen months later, Charles was successfully lectured on experimental physics inspired by Franklin, who later became his research tutor. Charles demonstrated the findings of his studies with very practical examples, which attracted followers.

Relationship with Louis XVI

The invention of the Charlière (gas balloon) and his ascension in it in 1783, allowed him to win the favor of the monarch of the time, Louis XVI, who granted Charles a privileged position in the Louvre to develop his research, in addition financing for their inventions.

His stay at the Louvre allowed the formulation, in 1787, of one of his most outstanding contributions: the ideal gas law.

In 1785 he was elected as a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences. He was a professor at the Conservatory of Arts and Crafts in the area of ​​experimental physics and then, in 1816, he became the president of the class in his area of ​​study at the Academy, an institution where he was also a librarian.

Life as a couple and death

He was married to a very beautiful young woman named Julie-Françoise Bouchard beginning in 1804. Thirteen years later this young woman died after battling a prolonged illness.

The reasons for the death of this famous scientist are unknown, but it is known that Jacques Charles died in Paris on April 7, 1823.

Contributions

Within the range of his research, the contributions for which Jacques Charles is best known have to do with the use of hydrogen to power a balloon.

Charles Law

Continuing with his line of study based on the behavior of gases, Jacques Charles formulated the law that is currently known as Charles's Law or Ideal Gas Law, in which he maintains that the volume corresponding to a gas varies as the temperature changes. to which it is being subjected.

This law states that at high temperatures the gas expands and at low temperatures the gas is compressed. The relationship between the volume of this gas and the pressure was not published by Charles, but by Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, years later and after his own observations and studies on the work of Charles.

In 1802 Gay-Lussac founded the studies of Charles, which today is known as the Law of Charles and Gay-Lussac. This law is named this way because of its complementarity and served as the basis for Kelvin's studies two decades later.

Publications

Charles wrote some articles on electricity due to the influence Franklin had on his academic life, but mostly he published articles with mathematics as his central theme.

The Charlière balloon

This artifact set him a record, since in December 1783 Charles was the first human to take a flight more than 1,000 meters high. It was in Tuileries, with a large audience of spectators, including Benjamin Franklin.

The Charlière had dimensions of almost 10 meters high, it was made of elastic mesh and bright and striking colors. Certain improvements were made to this artifact that surpassed Charles's previous model and, of course, the one proposed by the Montgolfiers.

Jacques Charles drew on the research carried out years before by the British physicist Henry Cavendish, related to the behavior of air and the discovery that hydrogen is lighter than air.

Charles deduced that "flammable air" (hydrogen) would be the most efficient way to raise the balloon higher and, furthermore, would allow it to stay in the air for longer.

Popular flights

News of manned flying balloons spread throughout Europe, causing a general fever in the population, who were excited to fly in a balloon. Spain was the second country to be infected with this fashion.

Later, the English, the Scottish and the Italians could not resist French innovation, which had such a boom that more than 180 manned flights were made on the European continent. It is also worth saying that it was an ephemeral fashion due to the number of accidents it caused.

Inventions

Parts of the globe

His fascination for aeronautics allowed him to develop a series of very important inventions in modern balloon manufacturing, within which some of the main parts of the hydrogen-powered balloon can be highlighted.

Such is the case of the valve line, which allows the crew member of the balloon to release the hydrogen gas for the descent of the ship.

Another part developed by Charles was the appendix, which provides the escape of expanded hydrogen and thus prevents the balloon sack from breaking.

The gondola, which is nothing more than a wicker basket in which the crew member of the ship goes, was also a total innovation in the design of the balloon, since previously they did not have a space where the crew member could be.

Megascope

Among other artifacts that were developed by Jacques Charles we can also mention the megascope, a useful tool in the projection of enlarged images.

Densimeter

He also highlighted the hydrometer, known as a hydrometer. It is a glass device designed to measure the relative density of liquids, which can be calibrated for use in various industries and with specific scales.

In oenology this artifact is used to determine the degree of maceration in which a wine is found.

In the dairy industry, a hydrometer is used to measure the creaminess of milk. In this industry it is known by the name of lactometer; It is also known by other names, such as saccharometer and breathalyzer, among others.

Goniometer

The reflection goniometer is used for the measurement or construction of angles in mineralogy, especially for the measurement of angles in crystals with different faces. It is also used to determine the type of crystal.

In surveying and engineering, the goniometer is used to measure angles and for triangulation; In addition, it allows to determine the latitude of a star with simple calculations.

The goniometer is also used in astronomy to measure the diameter of stars or galaxies, and in geodesy it is used for the triangulation of the territory in the creation of maps.

Curious fact

Some biographers consider that Jacques Charles did not achieve all that is attributed to him, but may have been involved in a confusion with another of his contemporaries, known as Charles the Geometer.

It is said that Charles only knew the basics of the area of ​​mathematics and that all the articles in this area were actually written by the geometer, who served as professor of dynamics of liquids at the Academy from 1785.

The confusion between these characters may have been due to the fact that solid facts about Charles the Geometer are completely unknown. For this reason, some claim that Jacques Charles may have lied about his admission to the Academy; however, this information has not been confirmed.

References

1. "Charles, Jacques-Alexandre-César" in Encyclopedia. Retrieved on August 27, 2018 from Encyclopedia: encyclopedia.com
2. Dobberpuhl, David A. "Jacques Charles" in Chemistry Explained Foundations and Applications. Retrieved on August 27, 2018 from Chemistry Explained: chemistryexplained.com
3. "The hot air balloon and the conquest of the skies" in National Geographic Spain. Retrieved on August 27, 2018 from National Geographic Spain: nationalgeographic.com.es
4. "Charles, Jacques Alexandre César" in Encyclopedia Universalis France. Retrieved on August 27, 2018 from Encyclopedia Universalis France: universalis.fr
5. "Charles's Law" in Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved on August 27, 2018 from Encyclopedia Britannica: britannica.com