What are the differences between spring and string? Spring can be set into vibration and stretched string can be set into vibration. Spring is associated with resonance and string is associated with resonance. We can have a mass-string system and we can have a mass-string system. Although spring is associated with natural frequency while string is associated with fundamental frequency. In your own opinion how can we identify spring and string? Where is spring applicable and where is string applicable? How can we differentiate between them?
A spring will resist compression, so like a strut it can be under tension or compression. You get springs in couches, mattresses, car/train suspension systems, amongst other things.
A string will not resist compression - it just goes slack. If it's elastic, its length will increase as it is put under tension. If it's inelastic, it's length doesn't change when put under tension.
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A spring is a single stiffness element which is a part of a system, the simplest being a single degree of freedom spring-mass-damper.
A string under tension is an entire continuous system with it's own internal mass and stiffness.
Perhaps it would be useful to stress the difference between Spring and String as idealized concepts used in mathematical models of mechanical systems and their material counterparts. In the first case, as already said above, the Spring appears in a lumped parameters mathematical description of mechanical systems (using ordinary differential equations) while the String appears in a distributed parameters mathematical description (now using partial differential equations). In a lumped parameters description the Spring is considered as massless and able to accumulate potential energy, while the kinetic energy is assumed to be in a mass, taken as an independent element. In a continuum mechanics framework the mass and its distribution can not be neglected in the String case so every String element has kinetic energy. Besides, as said above, the String is considered to be under tension and assumed to be unable to support compression. Their material counterparts are rods (perhaps twisted bars) and ropes that under suitable circumstances behave in a way that may be idealized by Springs or Strings for mathematical description purposes.
As described earlier, springs act under compression and tension both, but strings only take tension. Strings are a distributed mass and stiffness member, whereas springs are generally considered as only stiffness element without any mass.
I agree with the opinion that the fundamental difference between the spring and the string is that the spring can be considered stiffness discrete mechanical element while the string is a distributed mass spring system. The spring can accept compression and expansion while string can accept expansion compression after stretching. They have physically different structures and so, have different applications. The contraction and expansion distance can be much greater for the spring than in the string.
So, one can say that a string has an embedded string action in it.
Best wishes
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