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Jacques Curie

Jacques Curie is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Jacques Curie rather than just read about it. In short: Jacques Curie (29 October 1855 – 19 February 1941) was a French physicist and professor of mineralogy at the University of Montpellier. Along with his younger brother, Pierre Curie, he studied pyroelectricity in the 1880s, leading to their discovery of some of the mechanisms behind piezoelectricity.

Jacques Curie — main illustration
Jacques Curie — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Jacques Curie belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Jacques Curie to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Jacques Curie from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Jacques Curie (29 October 1855 – 19 February 1941) was a French physicist and professor of mineralogy at the University of Montpellier. Along with his younger brother, Pierre Curie, he studied pyroelectricity in the 1880s, leading to their discovery of some of the mechanisms behind piezoelectricity. He is buried in the Saint-Lazare cemetery in Montpellier.

Biography In 1883, Jacques Curie was appointed professor of mineralogy at the University of Montpellier. This appointment marked the end of his collaboration with his brother Pierre. He remained in Montpellier until his death in 1941 with the exception of the years 1887–1889, which he spent in Algeria, teaching at the School of Science of Algiers and conducting his research. It was not until 1903 that he was appointed to the chair of physics, a position he retained until his retirement in 1925. His father, Eugène Curie, was an anti-clerical freethinker and did not have his sons, Jacques and Pierrie, baptized. His son Maurice Curie was a physicist.

Research and discoveries The major legacy of Jacques Curie is the discovery of the piezoelectric effect with his brother Pierre in 1880. The two brothers were then laboratory assistants at the Faculty of Sciences of Paris, under the direction of Charles Friedel. The accounts of their discovery generally give Jacques Curie only a minor role in favor of his brother Pierre. Doubtless the comparison between the latter's brilliant career and the more quiet one of Jacques gives some reason for this, however there is no evidence that Jacques was limited to a minor role: In particular he had more experience than his brother in the study of pyroelectricity. In fact it is almost impossible to clearly separate the contributions of the two brothers as they constantly shared their ideas. According to Shaul Katzir, one must consider the discovery as a joint contribution. The Curie–von Schweidler law refers to the response of dielectric material to the step input of a direct current (DC) voltage first observed by Jacques Curie in 1889 and independently by Egon Ritter von Schweidler in 1907.

See also Pierre Curie Marie Skłodowska–Curie Curie Family

References

[This is a translation of the page Jacques Curie in the French Wikipédia]

Illustrations

Jacques Curie: Jacques (1855–1941, left) with his brother Pierre (1859–1906) and his parents Eugène Curie (1827–1910) and Sophie-Claire Depouilly (1832–1897)
Jacques (1855–1941, left) with his brother Pierre (1859–1906) and his parents Eugène Curie (1827–1910) and Sophie-Claire Depouilly (1832–1897)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Jacques Curie

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Jacques Curie claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Jacques Curie before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Jacques Curie ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Jacques Curie

In research
Jacques Curie appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Jacques Curie in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Jacques Curie is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1856 births, 1941 deaths, 19th-century French physicists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Jacques Curie outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Jacques Curie in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Jacques Curie means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Jacques Curie out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Jacques Curie in simple terms?

Jacques Curie (29 October 1855 – 19 February 1941) was a French physicist and professor of mineralogy at the University of Montpellier. Along with his younger brother, Pierre Curie, he studied pyroelectricity in the 1880s, leading to their discovery of some of the mechanisms behind piezoelectricity.

Why does Jacques Curie matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Jacques Curie?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Jacques Curie.

Tags

  • 1856 births
  • 1941 deaths
  • 19th-century French physicists
  • 20th-century French physicists
  • Academic staff of the University of Montpellier
  • Curie family

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