Speed of sound jet

Ernst Mach - Feb.18, 1838 - Feb. 19, 1916

By jzink36

  • Birth

    Ernst Mach was born on February 18, 1838 in the city of Moravia, Austrian Empire. Mach was home schooled until the age of 14 and attended high school for a short period. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopedia. "Ernst Mach". Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 Feb. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ernst-Mach. Accessed 24 September 2022.

  • School

    At the age of 17 in 1855, Mach began studies at the University of Vienna. Where he studied physics and mathematics. He received his doctorate in physics in 1860. After he was finished with school he stayed at the university teaching physics and mathematics.

  • Mach bands

    In 1865, Mach published "on the effect of the spatial distribution of the light stimulus on the retina", also known as mach bands. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Mach_bands

  • Scientific work

    After a short period at the University of Graz from 1864 to 1867, Mach took became a professor at Charles University in Prague. Over the next 28 years, he conducted studies on kinesthetic sensation (feelings associated with movement and acceleration).

  • sound waves

    During the period between 1873 and 1893, Mach worked on developing new ways to take photographs of the measurement of sound waves and wave propagation.

  • shock waves

    shock waves
    Ernst Mach along with Peter Salcher published "photographic fixirung der durch projectile in der luft eingeleiteten vorgange" (photograph recording of phenomena caused by the flight of projectiles through the air). The paper reproduced the first photograph of a shock wave in front of an object moving at supersonic speed and the mathematical formula describing the physics of the shock wave.

  • 1887

    Mach establishes the principles of supersonics and the Mach number (the ratio of the velocity of and object to the velocity of sound).

  • later years

    In 1895, Mach returned to the University of Vienna as the professor of inductive philosophy. He unfortunately suffered a stroke in 1898 and retired from active research in 1901 when was appointed to the Austrian parliament.

  • Death

    Ernst Mach died on February 18, 1916 inn Munich, Germany. Pojman, Paul, "Ernst Mach", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy(winter 2020 edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.) URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2020/entries/ernst-mach/7 Anderson, History of Aerodynamics (1999), URL = <https://historyofinformation.com/detail.php?entryid=3714