It is the first constructive attack on the idea of Newtonian absolute space. In Mach’s words, the principle is embodied as follows:
[The] investigator must feel the need of... knowledge of the immediate connections, say, of the masses of the universe. There will hover before him as an ideal insight into the principles of the whole matter, from which accelerated and inertial motions will result in the same way.
The broad notion is that mass there influences inertia here. This concept was used in Einstein’s development of the general theory of relativity.
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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Mach’s principle formulated". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 May 2009 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=6372, accessed 23 November 2024.]
