Common Sense Relativity and Spacetime: Looking Physics Right in the Eye

Based on simple, common-sense observations, the author introduces spacetime in an easily understandable way. Concepts in and around spacetime are explained first independently of any kind of ‘relativity connotation’, then in the nonrelativistic context and finally in the special relativistic context.

Reference frames, while traditionally foundational, make reasoning about spacetime unnecessarily particular. Thinking in terms of spacetime itself makes us much more confident and creative and ...