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Publishes "Contributions to the Analysis of the Sensations"
Ernst Mach publishes "Contributions to the Analysis of the Sensations" which discusses a range of topics relating to sensations. Mach believed sensations are dependent on the interaction of the experience and pre-formed memories. Mach believes that a person's predisposition will affect the sensations they experience (Pojman, 2019). This predisposition can also lead the observer to selectively make observations in line with their past experiences. -
Speed of Sound
Mach captures a photo of sound waves surrounding a bullet. Mach establishes the principles of supersonics, commonly refered to as the Mach number (name was not coined until 13 year's following Mach's death). The Mach number is the ratio of the velocity of an object to the velocity of sound which is important in aerodynamics, "because it represents the same aerodynamic condition for the aircraft, independent of changes in air density due to altitude, temperature or humidity" (Paur, 2017). -
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Works Cited
The Editors of Enclyclopaedia Britannica, "Ernst Mach", Encyclopaedia Britannica. February 15, 2019. Futurism Editors, "Ernst Mach –Albert Einstein’s Mentor?" Futurism, March 25, 2013. Paur, Jason, "Feb. 18, 1838: Physicist Machs His Entrance", Wired, Conde Nast, June 4, 2017. Pojman, Paul, "Ernst Mach", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2019 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.). -
Philosophy of Phenomenalism
Ernst Mach was a positivist so naturally he was a strong advocate for empiricism. He believed that sensations must be observable in order to be scientifically admissible. Mach refrained from accepting metaphysical concepts which made him skeptical to accepting the atomic theory because atoms were not observable. Mach wrote about his beliefs in his 1910 essay "The Guiding Principles of My Scientific Theory" (Pojman, 2019). -
Einstein Credits Mach
Ernst Mach's critique of Newtonian's Absolute Space and Time motivates Einstein to study relativity more deeply. In 1930, Einstein credits Mach as being a precursor for his Law of Relativity (Futurism, 2013).
