The following problem was posed in a video by Matt Parker, posted on his YouTube channel "Standup Maths": A pencil, initially sitting upright at the edge of a table, is knocked off the table with a kick to its lower end. Will the pencil hit the table as it falls? In this video I work out the solution in detail, and show that there are three possibilities: (1) For a large kick, the pencil misses the table; (2) for a small kick, the shaft of the pencil hits the corner of the table; and (3) for an intermediate kick, the tip of the pencil hits the tabletop.

Link to Matt Parker's video "Will a falling pencil hit the table? We do the maths!":    • Will a falling pencil hit the table? ...