Chapter 9, Problem 46PCE

A pencil standing upright on its eraser end falls over and lands on a table As the pencil falls its eraser does not slip. The following questions refer to the contact force exerted on the pencil by the table Let the positive x direction be in the direction the pencil falls and the positive y direction be vertically upward (a) During the pencils fall, is the x component of the contact force positive negative, or zero? Explain (b) Is they component of the contact force greater than, less than, or equal to the weight of the pencil? Explain.