Not all forces can produce rotation. It all depends on where the force is applie

Question

Not all forces can produce rotation. It all depends on where the force is applied, relative to the axis of rotation. Do this simple experiment: Lay a pencil on a flat table. (This works best with an old school type of pencil that doesn't have a clip on the side.) Try to push on the pencil in such a way that the pencil stays flat on the table but rotates. This should be easy because there are many places on the pencil that you can apply your force in order to get it to rotate. Now try to find at least 2 places on the pencil that when you apply your force the pencil does not rotate. (The pencil can move, but it can't rotate.) Based on your experiment, which location(s) in the picture below will result in no rotation of the pencil around an axis that goes through the center of the pencil?

Explanation / Answer

When we apply force at position A and B, then the pencil will rotate about the central point of the pencil (in the figure: a black dot).

Thus when we apply the force at position C and D, there will be rotation of the pencil. In these cases, whole pencil will move instead of undergoing rotation.

Hence correct option: C and D.

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