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Birth
Ernst Mach was born in Moravia, Austrian Empire now the Czech Republic (The). -
College
At the age of 17 Mach began attending University of Vienna. He later received his doctorate in physics in 1860 and continued at the University to teach mechanics and physics til 1864. Ernst went on to have an impact in science, philosophy and psychology (The). -
Mach Bands
In 1865 Mach published the first of many articles published about what is now known as Mach bands. These are the light bands seen on the inner edge and dark bands seen on the outer edge of a gradient. This is due to an over processing of the boundaries and the under processing of the constancy. This lead to the idea that our senses are pre processed prior to going to the brain and is called lateral inhibition in our sense organs. (Cont. in comments) -
Science
Ernst went on to Charles University in Prague in to teach experimental physics for the next 28 years. There he studied kinesthetic sensation or the feeling associated with movement and acceleration. In his research he focused on sound waves and led to the creation of photogenic and optical techniques of measuring sound waves and propagation. This led to the creation of the principle of supersonics and the Mach number or the ratio of the velocity of an object to the velocity of sound(The). -
Psychology
The background of his well known influence in philosophy of Science was in psychology. Ernst studied the relationship of our sensations to external stimuli. Many new aspects of the world were beginning to be studied by psychologists and this led Mach to learning more and influenced many of his thoughts in philosophy of science. -
Mach Number Video
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Philosophy
As a part of the Vienna Circle, Ernst was well-known for his thoughts on anti-metaphysical thoughts. "He held that scientific laws are summaries of experimental events, constructed for the purpose of human comprehension of complex data." Therefore, he believed that sensations that built up lead to understanding scientific principles. This meant that without direct sensations, theories were only temporary. -
Later Years
Mach was later appointed Austrian Parliament in 1901. Ernst made such an impact that Lenin later wrote a book about his theories on anti-materialism (Pojman). He later died in Haar, Germany in 1916 (The).