if you were in the middle of empty space and you managed to swing a 1 light year long string or cord with a ball tied to one end (being it completely tensioned), it follows a circular trajectory, were you to release it, will the ball immediately end its circular motion and continue with the tangent in a straight line, or will it take some time for it to have this effect?
Remember that the cord is 1 light year long and no information may travel faster than light.

Question

if you were in the middle of empty space and you managed to swing a 1 light year long string or cord with a ball tied to one end (being it completely tensioned), it follows a circular trajectory, were you to release it, will the ball immediately end its circular motion and continue with the tangent in a straight line, or will it take some time for it to have this effect? 
Remember that the cord is 1 light year long and no information may travel faster than light.

unklerhaukus · Answer

the tension is held inside the electromagnetic field connecting the molecules of the rope, (virtual photons and such)
the the time for the change in tension to reach the other end is 1 year
i reckon the ball will keep gong in circles for a year before tangent off into space

anonymous · Answer

This question is so wrong

unklerhaukus · Answer

on second thought it might taken even longer if you consider that the refractive index of the rope