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Metrically constrained dynamics : lariats, chain siphons, and whirling skirts
The dynamics of classical, inextensible strings and sheets are in some sense intermediate between those of point particles and rigid bodies. I will discuss simple models of these highly flexible bodies, focusing on the inertial dynamics of curves and surfaces with metric constraints. Symmetries of these constraints admit additional material flows in the bodies which can modify dynamical equilibria. Although the physics of these models is kept minimal, the retention of geometric nonlinearities in the description is crucial to a proper understanding of the dynamics.