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Birth Date
Ernst Mach was born in Moravia in the Czech Republic -
Doppler Apparatus
One of Mach's first major contributions to to science was his work with the Doppler theory. Brought forth by Christian Doppler, this theory stated that all wavelengths (to include sound and light) changes frequency as the source moved closer or further away. Mach aided in this theory by developing the first apparatus to demonstrate this theory for sound waves.
This link below is a video briefly explaining the theory of the Doppler effect.
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Mach Bands
In 1865, Mach published the first of a series of articles on what we now know today as "Mach Bands". This article, "On the effect of the spatial distribution of the light stimulus on the retina" explained the visual illusion we see when we look at gradients between light and dark lines. This was important in Mach's argument that perception works by perceiving the relations between stimuli, and this process being at the root of all life. -
The Mach Number
Through his investigation of projectiles and the wounds they induced, Mach developed the theories and eventually the details of supersonic motion. In doing so, the "Mach number" was introduced, which was represented by the ratio of the speed of sound in a given medium. Mach 1 is equal to the speed of sound. -
Death
Ernst Mach died at the age of 78 near Munich Germany
