Jacques Alexandre César Charles was born in France in 1746. He was interested in many areas of science and technology, including the properties of gases. He was the first person to ascend in a hydrogen-filled balloon, reaching a height of 550 m on 1 December 1783. His work was recognised by the King of France, who invited him to set up his equipment in the Royal Palace in Versailles.
During the French Revolution Charles was lucky to be released by the revolutionaries invading the palace – it is said he entertained them with tales of his ballooning adventures. His name is known to generations of physics students through ‘Charles’ law’, which states that the volume of a fixed mass of gas at constant pressure is proportional to its absolute temperature.
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