🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <Bvpr2n.F9@news.larc.nasa.gov>, mark@uab15.larc.nasa.gov (Mark Flanagan) writes:
|> In article <1asiu6INNf5k@agate.berkeley.edu> aephraim@physics.Berkeley.EDU (Aephraim M. Steinberg) writes:
|> 
|> [taut string for a straight line...]
|> 
|> >if the string has any mass and is in any gravitational field
|> >whatever, then any finite tension will still leave it a catenary, just
|> >a straighter and straighter one.  I believe the question was one of
|> >principle.
|> >
|> How about making the string parallel to the local gravitational gradient?

   Would it eliminate the tendency of the string to resonate ? It
   probably wouldn't be any better than filling a long tray with water,
   floating a pen holder in it, and drawing the line by drawing the
   'boat'. One could also drop ink from a stationary container in a
   still cave onto an inclined plane, and lower the plane to generate
   the line, but even with two nice pivot points at the base of the
   plane the rope used to lower the plane would suffer from the same
   problem. If one were to float the plane in a long tray and draw
   it against a pen....or set the plane in a tray of water and 
   carefully place some dye in the water....or roll an inked ball
   down an inclined plane....I guess that's why a taut string is 
   traditionally used. 

   John Ongtooguk (johno@sdd.hp.com)