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Born-18 February 1838 in Austria
Born February 1838 in Chirlitz-Turas in what is now the Czech Republic, Mach spent his early childhood up to the age of 14 homeschooled. He then spent the next few years in high school until age 17 when he went to the University of Vienna. -
University of Vienna
Earning his doctorate in Physics in 1860, he then taught at the University of Vienna. There he would practice primarily in mechanics and physics until 1864 when he transitioned to The University of Graz where he taught as a professor of mathematics. -
Charles University-Prague
After spending three years at the University of Vienna he transferred to Charles University where he would go on to pursue his main interests as professor of experimental physics. It was here that he would begin to delve into the psychology and physiology of sensation. He would make the discovery of the physiological phenomenon "Mach's bands". Below is a short video on the Mach band effect.
Mach Band effect- explanation of Mach Band effect
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkX8JsU87n8 -
Measurement of Sound
Having spent the later years of the 1860's studying primarily the kinesthetic sensation of movement and acceleration he would then go on to develop certain optical and photographic techniques for measuring sound waves and wave propagation between 1873 and 1893. -
Mach Number
In 1887 he discovered and established the principles of supersonics and ultimately, the Mach Number. This was the ratio of the velocity of an object to the velocity of sound. -
Contributions to the Analysis of the Sensations
It was with this writing he further developed and advanced findings contributing to the principle that knowledge comes from observations of phenomena. This would lead to the view that no claim about the natural world could be admissible unless it is empirically verifiable. It was this rigorous verifiable practice that paved the way for Einstein's relativity theory. -
Died- 19 February 1916 in Germany
In the last years leading to his death, Mach returned to the University of Vienna as a professor of inductive philosophy. After retiring just two years later he would lecture and publish numerous works including, Erkenntnis und Irrtum (Knowledge and Error), and an autobiography.