Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Mach's Principle: Why Are Some Reference Frames Inertial, And Others Not?, Joseph Moonan Walbran

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

Mach's principle is a conjecture that was popular among physicists in the early 1900s, and which still sees occasional interest today. The principle states that large accelerating masses induce a local inertial reference frame around them. This paper introduces the principle and its history, and discusses its influence on later theories, like Maxwellian theories of gravity and general relativity.