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Mach Bands
Ernest Mach named an optical illusion Mach Bands due to the contrast of the edges of slightly different shades of grey. He reported that the image seen is triggered by edge detection within the human visual system and that its captured by the retina itself. Ernst was one of the first to report this illusion of bright and dark bars on a trapezoid. Instead of Mach just leaving it as an illusion of the eye he reported and discovered it being an actual retina visual to the eye. -
Super sonic motion
Mach was known for his work in aerodynamics that marked his name today. He wanted to create images that were developed at high speeds for photographic techniques to help engineers. He discovered mach's number which intertwined with supersonic motion and determining the ratio of the speed at which the object was going. It was then put together in a medium. Mach 1 means the speed of sound in a given medium. -
Shadow graph
In creating his supersonic speed of sound Ernst Mach became well known for the way he preformed his picture. He did a technique to capture the bullets speed by reflecting the light thats passed through an airflow to project onto the film plate. The shadows that are created are because of the refracted light patterns thus showing up on the screen. Mach was then able to make invisible shock waves visible. This was way back before computers or electronics were even available. -
Educational video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLrHnndL3D4
This is a really good educational video on why Mach was so important in history. It goes into depth on his discovery on the supersonic sound and many other attributes to history. -