Quick Facts
- Born:
- Nov. 16, 1841, Langres, Fr.
- Died:
- Sept. 12, 1923, Fixin (aged 81)
- Subjects Of Study:
- solar constant
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Jules Violle
French physicist
Jules Violle (born Nov. 16, 1841, Langres, Fr.—died Sept. 12, 1923, Fixin) was a French physicist who at Mont Blanc in the French-Swiss Alps made the first high-altitude determination of the solar constant (1875). A graduate of the École Normale Supérieure at Paris, he taught at the University of Lyon (1883), then at the École and, from 1891, at the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers, Paris.
Violle also determined the fusion points of palladium, platinum, and gold. His interest in high-temperature radiation led to his proposing the photometric unit, violle, or Violle’s standard. He was also interested in the theory of geysers, the origin of hail, and atmospheric exploration through balloon soundings.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica
Privacy Policy
and
Terms of Use.