Movement of a guitar string at relativistic speeds

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the movement of a guitar string at relativistic speeds, exploring whether this can be understood without delving into String Theory or Quantum Field Theory. Participants share resources, raise questions about the nature of strings in different contexts, and discuss the implications of relativistic effects on vibrating strings.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks guidance on understanding the movement of a massive, unbreakable string at relativistic speeds without engaging with String Theory.
  • Another participant suggests a thesis that models a mechanical system behaving like a string, emphasizing accessibility for advanced undergraduate students.
  • Questions arise regarding the distinction between strings in String Theory and mechanical relativistic strings, with some proposing that the latter could be a larger version of the former.
  • Concerns are raised about the concept of an unbreakable string, with a participant arguing that such a string would imply infinite speed of sound, violating locality.
  • Several participants discuss the relativistic effects on guitar strings, noting that any guitar can move at relativistic speeds and that relativistic mass and time dilation would apply.
  • One participant suggests looking into relativistic continuum mechanics and provides links to relevant papers.
  • Clarifications are sought regarding the implications of relativistic speeds on the vibration of strings and the nature of stress on strings.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the relevance of String Theory to the discussion, with some asserting that it is unrelated to the vibration of guitar strings. There is no consensus on the nature of an unbreakable string and its implications.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the limitations of definitions and assumptions regarding strings, particularly in the context of relativistic mechanics and the implications of stress on strings.

  • #61
If anyone sees this, I'd like to ask another question:

How do we know that the Nambu-Goto action is the one we want to minimize to get the correct equation of motion for the string?
 
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  • #62
Joda said:
If anyone sees this, I'd like to ask another question
Maybe it can be seen better, if you start for the new question also a new thread with a headline, which asks specifically for the Nambu-Goto action.

Eventually you could ask a moderator, if the new thread should be issued here in the relativity forum or better in the quantum theory forum. I think, formally it belongs to the relativity form, because it is in literature discussed regarding classical (non-quantized) relativistic strings. But eventually, you find in the quantum theory forum more users, who have better knowledge about it, because of the D-dimensional Minkowski space and also the additional dimension of the particle.

Joda said:
How do we know that the Nambu-Goto action is the one we want to minimize to get the correct equation of motion for the string?
I don't know. I can only provide additional links:
https://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/tong/string/string.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nambu–Goto_action
 
Last edited:

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