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Ernst Mach
Ernst Mach was a Austrian physicist and philosopher.
In physics, the speed of sound bears his name, as he was the first to systematically study super-sonic motion, and work in Spectroscopy. He also made important contributions to understanding the Doppler Effect. His critique on Newtonian theories of space and time inspired Einstein with his Theory of Relativity. He is known in the philosophy world for his influence for the Vienna Circle, on metaphysical attitudes, and developing "Positivism". -
"Mach Bands", Doppler Effect
In 1865 Mach published, “On the effect of the spatial distribution of the light stimulus on the retina,” the first of a series of remarkable articles on what are now known today as Mach Bands. The immediate significance of this was that it provided a strong argument against direct representationalist theories of perception. There simply is no isomorphism between reality and appearance. But Mach took this even further, embedding it within his evolutionary Fechnerian framework. -
Mach's Philosophical Contributions
Mach advanced the concept that all knowledge is derived from sensation, thus, phenomena under scientific investigation can be understood only in terms of experiences, or “sensations,” present in the observation of the phenomena. This view leads to the position that no statement in natural science is admissible unless it is empirically verifiable. -
The understandings of Supersonics Speeds.
In 1887 Ernst Mach established the principles of supersonic flow in his publication that included this incredible picture which is the first one showing the shocks waves that form when an object is moving at supersonic speeds. He was the first person to study systematically super-sonic motion, for this the Speed of Sound bears his name. -
Mach's principle
According to Mach's principle, which is an example of a relational theory, a single object (for example, the Earth) in an otherwise empty Universe would feel no inertial forces. It would be impossible to determine whether that object is rotating or not. According to Mach, the inertial forces on that object are caused by the sum of the gravitational forces from cosmic bodies such as the distant stars. -
Mach's death
He suffered a stroke in 1898 and retired in 1901. He died near Munich in 1916 at the age of the age of 78 -
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