Ernst Mach Ernst Mach Ernst Waldfried Josef Wenzel Mach (; ; 18 February 1838 – 19 February 1916) was an Austrian physicist and philosopher, noted for his contributions to physics such as study of shock waves. The ratio of one's speed to that of sound is named the Mach number in his honor. As a philosopher of science, he was a major influence on logical positivism and American pragmatism. Through his criticism of Newton's theories of space and time, he foreshadowed Einstein's theory of relativity. Ernst Waldfried Josef Wenzel Mach was born in Chrlice (), Moravia (then in the Austrian empire, now
Ernst Mach one another, by triggering edge-detection in the human visual system. More clearly than anyone before or since Mach made the distinction between what he called "physiological" (specifically visual) and "geometrical" spaces. Mach's views on mediating structures inspired B. F. Skinner's strongly inductive position, which paralleled Mach's in the field of psychology. In homage his name was given to: Ernst Mach Ernst Waldfried Josef Wenzel Mach (; ; 18 February 1838 – 19 February 1916) was an Austrian physicist and philosopher, noted for his contributions to physics such as study of shock waves. The ratio of one's speed to that of