Inertial forces, absolute space, and Mach’s principle: The genesis of relativity

The cornerstone of Newtonian mechanics is the inertial frame of reference. With this frame we can understand the difference between real and fictitious or pseudo forces and the importance of these two types of forces in Newton’s analysis of his rotating bucket. This analysis was the basis of his belief in absolute space. Mach, who believed strongly in an empiricist view of science, showed that the existence of inertial forces leads to a refutation of absolute space. He replaced absolute space with a frame of reference at rest with respect to the distant fixed stars considered as a rigid system. His principle, which was not expressed explicitly by him, is that the inertia of a body is a consequence of its interaction with all other bodies in the universe. Mach’s refutation of absolute space made Einstein’s general theory of relativity possible. Einstein later abandoned Mach’s principle and found the source of inertia in the nonzero curvature of the space-time metric, a fact that does not diminish the importance of Mach in Einstein’s early thinking.