What you Need
First of all we have just plucking a single string to give you a feel for what is going on. The video is slowed down by a factor of 40, so this string is vibrating at about 64Hz.
Then we tried plucking all the strings at the same time. The strings are all tuned a fifth apart, this means that as they get higher their frequencies are 3/2 times higher. You can see them go in and out of phase.
In this next video only the lowest string is being bowed, but because it is tuned to the same note as the second string the vibrations set up in the cello cause the second string to move as well.
They are moving in opposite directions because whenever the lower string is at the bottom of its vibration it is being pulled upwards by the cello, this means that due to conservation of momentum the cello and the second string must be pulled downwards. If the forces on the two strings are in opposite directions then they will move in opposite directions.
How the cello bow works.
This was the video I was most impressed by, it shows the cello bow moving across the string from bottom to top.
You can see that the string moves smoothly with the bow until it gets near the end of its motion, at which point it quickly jumps back again. This is because friction is normally greater when two objects are stationary compared to when they are moving past one another
This means that many things from a bag you are dragging across the floor to your fingernails as you drag them across a blackboard tend to stick and then slip repeatedly creating a vibration.
What I found especially interesting was the way that the string is moving in this sawtooth pattern. Which is very different from the smooth sine wave vibration of the fundamental mode, and the string keeps on moving like this even when you stop bowing. This must mean that the bow is driving a set of harmonics which make the string move in a sawtooth pattern.
What to do
What may happen
Why does it happen?
If you don't mind getting flour/talc on your cello you could try to obtain Chladni patterns...
Neat little new Board you've got here. Chemistry4me, Tue, 10th Mar 2009
I had a go at looking for the chaladni patterns directly with the high speed camera but I think the movements were far too small to be visible. My housemate who owns the cello wouldn't be keen on covering it with sand... daveshorts, Wed, 11th Mar 2009
I've got a 'spare' acoustic guitar you can test it on... BRValsler, Wed, 11th Mar 2009
It may be possible to use interferometry to record the minute movements of the cello's surface e.g. reflecting a laser off it, (use a diverging lens to create a cello sized disc of monochromatic light), and record the changing interference patterns on camera...
Yes a guy I know who does some science lectures called Mark Lewney did a PhD on this subject. However It would require quite a powerful laser to make it work - or I guess a strobed much less powerful laser and a long exposure time. daveshorts, Wed, 11th Mar 2009
No indication of the power of the laser used on this guitar, (image published 1983)...
From Mark Lewney