How Did Charles Change The World

Jacques-Alexandre-César Charles was an inventor, mathematician and scientist that changed the way we look at the physics of gases today. Charles was born November 12, 1746 in Beaugency, Loiret, France and died in Paris, France at the age of 77 in 1823. There is not a lot known about his early years. His first job was at the Ministry of Finance in Paris as a clerk, however he eventually changed his focus to science. During his life he accomplished many things. One being the hydrometer to measure densities, the valve to let hydrogen out of the balloon, and the goniometer that could be used to measure the angles of crystals. Charles will probably be best remembered for his hydrogen balloon flying and for his work with gases that became known
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
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