2011/11/30 by Roberto B. Salgado · 1 voice
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Experimental and Theoretical Physics Studies #Geophysics and Sensor Technology #Scientific Research and Discoveries #gr-qc #physics.class-ph #physics.ed-ph #physics.pop-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1119/1.4943251
published as Am. J. Phys. 84, 344 (2016) · 30 pages, 17 figures. For an earlier approach, see arXiv:physics/0505134v1
arxiv created 2011/11/30 · openalex publication_date 2016/04/20 · arxiv updated 2016/04/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We present visual calculations in special relativity using spacetime diagrams drawn on graph paper that has been rotated by 45 degrees. The rotated lines represent lightlike directions in Minkowski spacetime, and the boxes in the grid (called "light-clock diamonds") represent units of measurement modeled on the ticks of an inertial observer's lightclock. We show that many quantitative results can be read off a spacetime diagram by counting boxes, using a minimal amount of algebra. We use the Doppler Effect, in the spirit of the Bondi k-calculus, to motivate the method.