astronomy

Jules Piccard

Jules Piccard is a astronomy 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 Jules Piccard rather than just read about it. In short: Jules Piccard, also known as Julius Piccard (20 September 1840, in Lausanne – 11 April 1933, in Lausanne) was a Swiss chemist. He was the father of twins Auguste Piccard (1884–1962) and Jean Felix Piccard (1884–1963), both renowned balloonists.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Jules Piccard, also known as Julius Piccard (20 September 1840, in Lausanne – 11 April 1933, in Lausanne) was a Swiss chemist. He was the father of twins Auguste Piccard (1884–1962) and Jean Felix Piccard (1884–1963), both renowned balloonists. He studied chemistry at the University of Heidelberg as a student of Robert Bunsen, receiving his doctorate in 1862. Shortly afterwards, he obtained his habilitation at the polytechnical institute in Zürich. From 1869 to 1903 he was a professor of chemistry at the University of Basel. He made contributions in the field of food chemistry and in his research of cantharidin, dinitrocresol, chrysin and resorcinol. He is also known for his studies involving the atomic weight of rubidium.

Selected writings De l'évaluation mécanique des surfaces planes, (with S. Cuénoud 1861) – On the mechanical evaluation of plane surfaces. Beiträge zur Kenntniss der Rubidiumverbindungen, 1862 – Contributions regarding rubidium compounds. L'avenir de l'agriculture d'après M. de Liebig : compte-rendu de l'introduction à la septième éd. de son ouvrage sur la Chimie agricole, 1862 – The future of agriculture in regards to Justus von Liebig. Chemisch-geognostische Mittheilungen, 1866 – Chemical-geognostic reports. Bernoullianum : Anstalt für Physik, Chemie und Astronomie an der Universität Basel : Beschreibung und Pläne (with Eduard Hagenbach-Bischoff and Johann Jacob Stehlin, 1876) – Bernoullianum Institute of Physics, Chemistry and Astronomy at the University of Basel. Produits chimiques et pharmaceutiques : rapport, 1879 – Chemical and pharmaceutical products. Rapport supplémentaire sur la question des brevets d'invention appliqués aux industries chimiques, 1881 – Supplementary report on the question of patents for the chemical industry. Louis Rütimeyer, 1897 – Biography of Ludwig Rütimeyer.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Jules Piccard

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Jules Piccard claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, 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 Jules Piccard 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 Jules Piccard 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 Jules Piccard

In research: Jules Piccard appears in astronomy 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 Jules Piccard 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: Jules Piccard is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1840 births, 1933 deaths, Academic staff of the University of Basel, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Jules Piccard 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 Jules Piccard in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Jules Piccard in simple terms?

Why does Jules Piccard matter?

Because it connects several astronomy 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 Jules Piccard?

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 Jules Piccard.