In 1822 the French appointed commission to finding the speed of sound in air. Two hills near Paris chosen for the experiment at Villejuif and Montlhery. On each hill a gun was discharged. Observers on the other hill, by noting the time of flash and time at which they heard report, calculated the speed to be 1, feet () per second. Gay-Lussac, Humboldt and Bouvard at Montlhery; Arago, Mathieu and Prony were at Villejuif. From Amedee Guillemin 'The Forces of Nature', London, 1873. Engraving

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In 1822 the French appointed commission to finding the speed of sound in air. Two hills near Paris chosen for the experiment at Villejuif and Montlhery. On each hill a gun was discharged. Observers on the other hill, by noting the time of flash and time at which they heard report, calculated the speed to be 1, feet () per second. Gay-Lussac, Humboldt and Bouvard at Montlhery; Arago, Mathieu and Prony were at Villejuif. From Amedee Guillemin 'The Forces of Nature', London, 1873. Engraving

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