as Charles Law.
Charles was an only child and his education was a liberal education that did not have a focus on science. He later became interested in physics and gave lectures and demonstrations to an audience of notable people. One said to be Benjamin Franklin. In 1795 he became a member at Académie des Science. Even though he had no formal education he became a physics professor at the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers.
Charles and the Robert brothers in 1783 were the first to launch a hydrogen filled balloon that was unmanned.
Later that same year Charles and Nicolas-Louis Robert ascended in the balloon to about 1,800 feet. Charles wanted to make a solo flight on his own because the balloon had lost some of its nitrogen. This time the balloon went up 3,000 meters or 9,843 feet. He went up so high he saw the sun again. When his ears began to ache from the pressure he used the valve he had invented to release some of the hydrogen. After his ascent he was quoted as saying, “Nothing will ever equal that moment of joyous excitement which filled my whole being when I felt myself flying away from the earth. It was not mere pleasure; it was perfect bliss. Escaped from the frightful torments of persecution and of calumny, I felt that I was answering all in rising above all.” — Jacques-Alexandre-César …show more content…
Charles.
Using hydrogen to lift the balloon helped Charles notice that the amount of volume of a gas is relative to its temperature, leading to his most famous invention of Charles Law. Charles studied hydrogen, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and nitrogen. He found the the volume of each of these gases increased the same with rising temperature when he consistently held pressure the same. The same would be true if the temperature was to decrease, so would the volume.
Robert Boyle in the 1600s studied the relationship of volume and pressure of gases. This became known as Boyle’s law. Charles wanted to study the relationship between volume and temperature as a result of his hot air balloon.
Charles filled five balloons in 1787 with different gases then raised the temperature to 80 degrees celsius.
He noticed that all the balloons volume increased the same. Charles created the formula V1/T1 = V2/T2 to show this relationship.
Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac published a paper and made some improvements to the experiment in 1802 on the relationship of temperature and volume of gases. He referenced Charles work and gave him credit for it, calling the experiment, Charles Law. This is sometimes referenced as Gay-Lussac's law after the person who published the paper.
We see examples of Charles law in everyday life. A few examples pressurized cans, balloons on a hot or cold day, or playing football in the snow. When a pressurized can is sprayed for several seconds the can becomes colder. The spray releases some of the pressure inside the can. The volume in the can does not change, however the temperature decreases making the can colder. This shows that when the pressure decreases the temperature does also. If you are having an outdoor party on a warm sunny day. The balloons that are filled inside an air-conditioned home should not be filled all the way. The warm sunny air will expand the volume in the balloon causing it to pop. The opposite would be true if you filled the balloons outside on a warm day and then brought them in, the volume would decrease in the cold air-conditioned home, causing the balloons to deflate. Have you ever inflated your football then went outside
to play football in the snow? You may find the ball is deflated. Charles law proves that the pressure of the ball decreases when the temperature decreased, the ball will seem deflated. Knowing how temperature affects pressure we can better prepare for these changes. In the winter the cold freezing temperature may lower the pressure in your tires causing you to need to add more air more often.
Jacques-Alexandre-César Charles changed how we look at the science of gases. He showed us that we can research and solve questions on our own through our own diligence. He led the way for future studies of gas and continues to teach us about the laws science. When we see a hot-air balloon across the sky we will know how it is ascending and descending. We can be prepared to know how much air to fill in rubber rafts and tires in the winter. Charles law is with us in our everyday lives.