My textbook says that concurrent forces have no turning effect, but I
don't quite understand this.
What are the conditions under which this applies?
If I hold a pencil horizontally and then drop it, the only considerable
force acting on it is the force of gravity. If, while it's falling, I
then hit it at one end, obliquely downwards, it spins. And yet the
direction in which I applied the force and the direction of gravity are
concurrent.
What am I missing??? (probably something very simple, but I will be
grateful for any help).
Cheers,
Chris
- posted 16 years ago