-
Period: to
Education
Ernst Mach was homeschooled until age 14, then went to a gymnasium, considered high school in Europe, to prepare for university.
From 1855 to 1861, he studied at the University of Vienna, where he earned his doctorate in physics.
In 1964 taught mathematics at the University of Graz
In 1967, he left Graz to teach experimental physics at the University of Prague, where he remained for 28 years.
In 1995 he taught inductive philosophy at the University of Vienna
In 1901 he retired from research -
Birth
Ernst Mach was born in Chirlitz-Turas, Moravia, Austrian Empire, but lived in farm in Untersiebenbrunn, Lower Austria. -
Mach Bands
Mach published a series of articles relating to what we know today as “Mach Bands”, beginning with “On the effect of the spatial distribution of the light stimulus on the retina,”. Mach Bands are an optical illusion product of the human visual system filtering light. Mach established that these Mach Bands are not actually there, but it is something that humans perceive to be real (Pojman, 2019). -
Period: to
Research
The discovery of Mach bands led to Mach’s research on optical and photographic propagations for measuring sound waves and sound propagations (Britannica, 2023). -
Significance
During Mach’s research, he established supersonic principles.
The Mach number is “the ratio of the velocity of an object to the velocity of sound.”
The Mach principle states that inertia is a product of all matter in the universe being in relation to each other. Einstein later used the Mach principle for his general theory of relativity (Britannica, 2023). -
Death
Ernst Mach passed away on February 19, 1916, Haar, Germany.