I guess it would work unless you had arms 10+ feet long and the pencil was close to the centered in the drum. The pencil would not have enough inertia to overcome the gravity drop of 32 feet per second per second and would hit the bottom of the drum. I guess then it would work its way to the side?
Yup. Now you’ve got it!
And, yes, it would quickly work its way to the side because the bottom of the Gravitron’s drum is also spinning.
BTW - I remember watching a kid puke in the Gravitron. The puke pooled up behind his head and stayed that way throughout the ride. Then, when the ride slowed down and gravity took over, it dripped all down his back. Not a pretty sight!
Cheers!