By: Charlie Strickland Jacques Charles By: Charlie Strickland

Jacques Alexandre Cesar Charles

Birth Jacques Alexander Cesar Charles was born on November 12, 1746 He was born in Beaugency, France.

Education As a child, Jacques received a liberal education. His education did not focus on science.

First Occupation His first occupation was working as a clerk for the Ministry of Finance in Paris. However, he eventually became interested in the scientific field.

Family Jacques was the son of Jacques Alexandre Charles and Marguerite Claude Charles. He had two brothers; Charles Jules Cesar Charles and Joseph Salomon Charles De Talmours

Wife Jacques Charles married Julie Francoise Bouchaud des Herettes. It is said that she was 37 years younger than Charles.

Scientific Career At the time, ballooning was becoming a big hobby in France and other countries. Charles was interested in aeronautics and understood many things involving science. Charles launched the first hydrogen-filled balloon shortly after the launch of the hot-air balloon. Unfortunately, when the balloon landed near a village the people thought it was a “monster from the sky” and destroyed it.

Hydrogen Balloon When the first hot-air balloon with people was launched it barely made it to 30 meters. So Charles, with the help of Nicholas and Aine Jean Robert, launched the first human controlled hydrogen balloon just 10 days after. The balloon reached an astounding height of approximately 3,000 meters due to the great lift and design developed by Charles.

Charles’s Law Charles also studied the changes in volume of a gas through a change in temperature. He studied how the volume increase in oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide was the same with a higher temperature and a constant pressure. However, Charles did not publish his work on these findings. Later another French scientist, Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac found and published the same findings. Furthermore, Gay-Lussac acknowledged Charles in his findings, so the law is known as Gay-Lussac’s Law or Charles’s Law

Charles’s Law V1 = V2 T1 T2 Charles’s Law states that if a gas is held at a constant pressure, the volume is directly proportional to the absolute temperature, in Kelvin.

Interesting Facts When Charles launched the first hydrogen balloon, Ben Franklin was among one of the 50,000 spectators. Charles developed many inventions such as the hydrometer and reflecting goniometer. He also improved the Gravesand heliostat and Fahrenheit’s aerometer. Charles used a bathtub to change the temperature of the gas by changing the water’s temperature.

Accomplishments Charles was elected, in 1795, to the French Academy of Sciences, and became a professor of physics. Flew the first ever hydrogen balloon.

Death Jacques Charles died at the age of 76 (1746-1823) He died in Paris, France.

Summary I learned that Jacques Charles was one of the most renounced scientists of his time. Also how he helped expand everyone’s knowledge about gases and how their temperature and volume are related at a constant pressure. He was a great man of his time. Furthermore, without the development of the hydrogen balloon I believe we would not know as much about air travel as well as how gases function. Although Charles did not receive the best education; he made the best of it and along with sheer determination became one of the top in his field. Jacques Charles was a very interesting man. I am glad I got to learn more about him, and about his contributions to society.

Resources www.geni.com www.chemistryexplained.com www.britannica.com aboutchemists.stormpages.com www.encyclopedia.com chemistry.bd.psu.edu