In this section we want to consider a vertical string of length L that has been tightly stretched between two points at and .
Because the string has been tightly stretched we can assume that the slope of the displaced string at any point is small. So just what does this do for us? Let’s consider a point x on the string in its equilibrium position, i.e. the location of the point at . As the string vibrates this point will be displaced both vertically and horizontally, however, if we assume that at any point the slope of the string is small then the horizontal displacement will be very small in relation to the vertical displacement. This means that we can now assume that at any point x on the string the displacement will be purely vertical. So, let’s call this displacement .