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Ernst Mach, February 18th, 1838- February 19th, 1916
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University of Vienna
Mach attended the University of Vienna where he studied Physics.
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ernst-mach/ -
Doctorate in Physics
Mach earned his Doctorate in Physics under Andreas Von Ettingshausen, from the University of Vienna.
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ernst-mach/ -
Teaching Career 1864-1866
Mach was a professor in Mathematics at the University of Graz, and was appointed Professor in Physics in 1866. During this time Mach continued his work in Psycho-physics and sensory perception during this time.
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ernst-mach/ -
Main Contributions- 1890s
Mach's most effective work was proving that when a bullet traveled faster than the speed of sound it would create a compression of air in front of it, also known as a shock wave. Mach invented an interferometer, that allowed for clear and precise photographs of these shock waves.
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ernst-mach/ -
Jakob Ackeret
Ackeret proposed the Mach number, named after the late Ernst Mach as the speed of sound, then followed by the number, For example Mach 0.5, is half the speed of sound while Mach 1.75, is 75% faster than the speed of sound.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mach_number -
Brief Video Explaining Mach Speed