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Birth
Born in Chirlitz-Turas, Moravia -
Doppler Effect
Made first notable scientific contribution by creating a device that would prove the existence of the doppler effect, previously theorized by Christian Doppler. The device allowed an observer to hear fluctuations in pitch that were dependent upon the speed of rotation of the device. https://youtu.be/6lb1P3CKC_w Pojman, Paul, "Ernst Mach", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2020 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2020/entries/ernst-mach/ -
Academic Role
Accepted a position as professor of mathematics at the University of Graz in Austria but two years later, he assumed a role as a professor of physics and focused on the area of psychophysics. Ernst Mach. (2021). Retrieved January 23, 2021, from https://www.famousscientists.org/ernst-mach/ -
Mach Bands
Published the first of a series of articles known today as Mach Bands, which consisted of the discovery of lateral inhibition in our sense organs, or optical illusions caused by contrast perception. He used this information to argue that perception works through perceiving relations between stimuli (Pojman, 2020). Pojman, Paul, "Ernst Mach", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2020 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2020/entries/ernst-mach/ -
Analysis of Sensations
Published Analysis of Sensations, which provided the basis for Gestalt Theory. This provided principles for how humans perceive observations, which he stated were built upon previous experiences in life. Pojman, Paul, "Ernst Mach", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2020 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2020/entries/ernst-mach/ -
Mach's Principle
Started a position as a professor of experimental physics at the Charles University on Prague. Developed the physical principle, later known as Mach’s Principle, that inertia of an object is related to other matter. This idea was used by Einstein to develop his theory of relativity. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Ernst Mach". Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 Feb. 2020, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ernst-Mach. Accessed 23 January 2021. -
Mach Speed
Used special photographic techniques, called the schlieren method, to study the propagation of sound waves by photographing invisible shock waves created by a bullet shot from a gun. This led to the establishment of the principles of supersonics and the Mach number, what he is most well known for today. Pojman, Paul, "Ernst Mach", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2020 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2020/entries/ernst-mach/ -
Science of Mechanics
Published the Science of Mechanics: A Critical and Historical Account of its Development, which detailed the fundamentals of mechanics and analyzed absolute space. In the book, he discusses his ideas about the comparisons between physiological space to geometrical space. Pojman, Paul, "Ernst Mach", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2020 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2020/entries/ernst-mach/ -
Death
Died in Haar, Germany
