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Ernst Mach (1838-1916): Mach Bands
Ernst Mach is credited with discovering Mach Bands and published an article on it in 1865. This theory states that our sense organs pre-process information before it is sent to our brains. This was an important discovery since the previous idea was that sense organs did not interpret data but only transmitted it. This theory was beneficial in understanding optical illusions. Pojman, P. (2019, March 03). Ernst Mach. Retrieved July 24, 2020, from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ernst-mach/ -
Ernst Mach (1838-1916): The Science of Mechanics
In 1883, Ernst Mach published a book titled “The Science of Mechanics” which led us to shift from Isaac Newton’s theory of absolute space to general relativity in the 20th century. Staley, R. (2013, December 01). Ernst Mach on bodies and buckets. Retrieved July 25, 2020, from https://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/PT.3.2214 -
Ernst Mach (1838-1916): Gestalt Theory
In Ernst Mach’s Analysis of Sensations in 1886, he aided in laying the ground work for the Gestalt Theory. His contributions included space and time forms. Space forms are how we recognize shapes, and time forms are how we can associate certain melodies. Boeree, C. (n.d.). Retrieved July 25, 2020, from https://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/gestalt.html Pojman, P. (2019, March 03). Ernst Mach. Retrieved July 25, 2020, from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ernst-mach/ -
Ernst Mach (1838-1916): Mach's Number
In 1887, Ernst Mach presented a paper to the Academy of Sciences in Vienna that included the first ever photo of a shock wave around an object. Mach was the first to propose the theory that speed of air flow relative to the speed of sound directly affects aerodynamic behaviors and quantified this relation. This is what we call Mach’s number. Ernst Mach and Mach Number. (n.d.). Retrieved July 24, 2020, from http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/history/q0149.shtml
