Word.ws English Dictionary

sticky bead argument

sticky bead argument proper noun: a thought experiment linking general relativity and gravitational waves, based on the idea of two beads sliding freely (but with a small amount of friction) on a rigid rod. As the wave passes over the rod, atomic forces hold the length of the rod fixed, but the proper distance between the two beads oscillates. Thus, the beads rub against the rod, dissipating heat.

Proper noun

the sticky bead argument

  1. A thought experiment linking general relativity and gravitational waves, based on the idea of two beads sliding freely (but with a small amount of friction) on a rigid rod. As the wave passes over the rod, atomic forces hold the length of the rod fixed, but the proper distance between the two beads oscillates. Thus, the beads rub against the rod, dissipating heat.

Questions about sticky bead argument

What does sticky bead argument mean?
Sticky bead argument means a thought experiment linking general relativity and gravitational waves, based on the idea of two beads sliding freely (but with a small amount of friction) on a rigid rod. As the wave passes over the rod, atomic forces hold the length of the rod fixed, but the proper distance between the two beads oscillates. Thus, the beads rub against the rod, dissipating heat.
What part of speech is sticky bead argument?
Sticky bead argument is a proper noun.

Words near sticky bead argument in the dictionary

  1. stickweeds
  2. stickwoman
  3. stickwomen
  4. stickwork
  5. sticky
  6. sticky bead argument
  7. sticky beak
  8. sticky beaked
  9. sticky beaking
  10. sticky beaks
  11. sticky bit

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: sticky bead argument (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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