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Homeschooling
Ernst Mach was homeschooled until the age of 14, where he then entered a Gymnasium and studied there for 3 years. -
Birth
On 18 February 1838, Ernst Mach was born in Moravia. Also known as the Czech Republic. -
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Formal Education at University of Vienna
In 1855, at the age of 17, Mach entered the University of Vienna. in 1860 Mach received a PhD in physics, and became a professor of physics and mechanics at the University of Vienna. -
Doppler Theory
Ernst Mach’s first notable contribution to the scientific community was his work involving the ‘Doppler theory’. The device was a six-foot tube with a whistle at one end was mounted and rotated on a vertical plane.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4OnBYrbCjY 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/. -
Professor of Mathematics
In 1864, Mach became a Professor of Mathematics in Graz. This is significant because prior to this he had been conducting lectures for pay, directly by students. Meaning he was very poor. Now as a Professor, he finally had enough money to conduct his own experiments. -
Mach Bands
In 1865, Mach published “On the effect of the spatial distribution of the light stimulus on the retina,” otherwise known as "Mach Bands". The physiological phenomenon, Mach Band, refers to the color patterns that occur due to the high spatial frequency response of the human eyes. This effect takes place when light gets reflected over an object and the visual effect takes place where the color black diminishes into its lighter shades. -
Professor of Physics
In 1866 Ernst Mach was appointed Professor of Physics at the University of Vienna. -
Professor of Experimental Physics - Charles University, Prague
in 1867, Ernst Mach left Graz and moved to Prague, where he became a Professor of Experimental Physics at his Father's alma mater, Charles University. He remained in Prague for the next 28 years. -
Inner Ear Anatomy - The Body's Perception of Motion
Ernst Mach wanted to understand how the body knew it was in motion, and how it was oriented. He came to understand the role of the inner ear, and how changes in pressure and the fluid within our inner ear canals helped us perceive rotation and motion. E. Mach, Fundamentals of the Theory of Movement Perception, L. R. Young, V. Henn, H. Scherberger, trans., Kluwer Academic/Plenum, New York (2001). -
Mach Principle
Although Mach Principle was not named during Mach's life, he introduced the theory in his book "The Science of Mechanics", published in 1883. Foreshadowing Einsteins's Theory of Relativity and is considered to be what caused the review of the Newtonian worldview. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPEwkMHRjZU -
Retirement
In 1901, Ernst Mach retired from teaching and was appointed to the Austrian Parliament. -
Ernst Mach Death
Ernst Mach died on 19 February 1916, 1 day after his birthday.
During his time Mach published hundreds or research papers and lectures. Going on to influence the studies of wave motion, relativity, the way we perceive reality through our own eyes, and much more. Mach became a foundation of the philosophy of science. And his work influenced some of the most groundbreaking discoveries in that we're still working on today.