Clermont-Ferrand was the home of mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal
who tested Evangelista Torricelli's hypothesis concerning the influence of gas
pressure on liquid equilibrium. This is the experiment where a vacuum is
created in a mercury tube: Pascal's experiment had his brother-in-law carry a
barometer to the top of the Puy-de-Dôme. The Université Blaise-Pascal (or
Clermont-Ferrand II) is located primarily in the city and is named after him.
Clermont-Ferrand also hosts the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film
Festival, the world's first international short film festival which originated
in
