Mach's Principle: And the Origin of Inertia

Ernst Mach’s non-atomistic model of matter and the associated interpretation of inertial mass (the "Mach principle") influenced the holistic approach embodied in the continuous field concept of the theory of general relativity as a general theory of matter. The articles in these Proceedings demonstrate Mach’s influence on contemporary thinking.We see here the views of an international group of scholars on the impact of the Mach principle in physics and astrophysics. The ideas presented here will inspire research in physics for many generations to come.