Charles’s Law

Definition
Charles’s law states that when keeping the pressure constant, the volume of a gas
varies directly with the temperature. Charles’s law equation can be represented as:
V∝T
where, V represents the volume of the gas and T represents temperature.
The law dictates the linear relationship that volume shares with temperature. The
temperatures are conventionally measured in Kelvin, the SI unit of temperature.

History of Charles’s Law

It was the June of 1783 when Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier inflated a balloon 30
feet in diameter with hot air and set it afloat in the air. The giant curvilineared envelope
traveled one and a half miles in the air before reacquainting itself with grass and dirt. The
news didn’t take long to spread throughout France.
Upon hearing of this flight, Jacques-Alexandre-Cesar Charles became suffused with a
sense of wonder and decided to perform a similar experiment on his own balloons (he is
known to be a renowned balloonist, a combination of two words you thought you’d never
see together) and formulated what is now known as Charles’s Law.

Jacques Charles conducted a simple experiment in which 5 balloons were filled with
a different gas, but at the same pressure and volume. They were then subjected to an
immensely hot temperature of 80°C. He found that they all expanded uniformly.

Explanation and Expression of Charles’s Law

A quasi-explanation was offered by the physicist James Clerk Maxwell. He claimed
that the amount of space that a gas occupies depends purely upon the motion of its particles.
The particles incessantly stumble and collide with the container in which they are contained.
This rapid assault of innumerable gas particles exerts a force on the container’s surface. That
force translates to a certain pressure.

The force of impact of one such collision is inconsequential, but collectively, the
collisions can exert a considerable pressure onto a container’s surface. For instance, inside a
helium balloon, about 1024 (a million million million million) helium atoms smack into each
square centimeter of rubber every second, at speeds of about a mile per second! This
pressure is referred to as gas pressure.

Gas pressure is proportional to both the magnitude of collisions and the force they
expend on a particular area. Thus, the more collisions, the higher the pressure. An important
discovery was that the motion of gas particles and the frequency of their collisions depend
on the temperature of the gas. This implies that hotter gases press harder against walls and
generate higher pressures. This is known as Gay-Lussac’s Law.
 However, it is imperative to realize that the pressure increases with an increase in
temperature provided the volume of the container is rigid and bounded or simply, a
constant. This is evident in the behavior of air pumps that churn out hot air when their piston
is periodically pushed and pulled. However, what about the ball itself that is being pumped
in the process?
Its volume increases when it comes in contact with this heated gas, because its
volume isn’t bounded — as the ball expands, the pressure, even though it is increasing,
it increments in constant leaps, thereby being restricted to a constant value. The rubber
expands as more and more hot gas is pumped in and the exhilarated particles bounce and
push on the inside of the surface, pushing it outward. It rightfully obeys Charles’s Law.

Applications
Hot air balloons

This is the most common application of Charles’s Law. The mental image of one of
these sauntering in the wind is what inspired Charles himself to ponder the underlying
mechanism behind its inflation. Since the third century B.C, we have known that an object
floats in a fluid when it weighs less than the fluid it displaces. Or simply, an object floats when
it is less dense than the fluid it attempts to float in.

Charles’s Law provides a succinct explanation for how hot air balloons work.
According to Charles’s Law, if a balloon is filled with a heated gas, its volume must expand.
At an elevated volume, the balloon then occupies a larger volume in the same weight as the
surrounding air — its density is now less than the cold air and consequently, the
balloon begins to rise.
This also explains why helium balloons tend to shrink when subjected to colder
temperatures. The warm air inside instinctively obeys the laws of thermodynamics and
disperses towards the cold region outside. The departure of warm air decreases the
pressure inside, as air molecules that are cold jiggle around less and need less space. Simply
put, as the temperature inside the balloon descends, its volume also decreases.
Bloated tires

This isn’t exactly an application, but rather a vice, and probably the second most cited
application of Charles’s Law. Charles’s law is responsible for the bloated tubes protruding
out from a tire when it is left stranded in the sweltering summer heat. The torrential heat
outside steadily flows into the tube and gradually causes the tire to expand, rendering it
malformed or popped entirely.

A regular check on your tires during the summer is highly recommended. Inattention
and continued cycling can result in extremely dangerous consequences, as the tire can burst
at any second if subjected to further expansion, additionally exacerbated by the
inevitable inflow of heat derived from friction. Yeah, thanks Charles.
Automobiles

The engine of an automobile consists of a series of lined-up pistons that periodically

bob up and down when there is an absence or presence of a fluid (respectively) directly
above them. The ends of the pistons are attached to a crankshaft in a peculiar way so that
their rise and fall rotates the shaft. The opposite ends of this crankshaft are connected to the
rear wheels of the automobile, so when the rod rotates, the wheel rotates as well.

Again, Charles’s Law is in the thick of the action. The pistons are pushed by the gas
being produced as a consequence of fuel combustion. The combustion generates a huge
amount of heat. As a result, the temperature soars and the converted gas immediately
expands, such that its seething particles sprint towards the pistons. They push on them with
all their force and thrust the vehicle forward.