Ernst Waldfried Josef Wenzel Mach was an Austrian physicist and philosopher who contributed to the understanding of the physics of shock waves. The ratio of the speed of a flow or object 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 Isaac Newton's theories of space and time, he foreshadowed Albert Einstein's theory of relativity.
- Occupation
- physicist, philosopher, pedagogue, professor
- Position held
- Member of the House of Lords (Austria), Rector of Charles University
- Citizenship
- Kingdom of Bohemia
- Born
- February 18, 1838
