Write Right at School

Why No. 2 is #1 Pencils are numbered by how hard the graphite is inside them, which affects how dark they mark on paper.  No. 1 pencils produce the darkest markings, but are more likely to smudge.  No. 2 pencils strike a balance between hardness and darkness, and are most easily read by machines used for standardized tests. –pencilchina.com

You read it first in this week’s The Factory in Guide magazine.

When I was in school I always wondered why I had to use special No. 2 pencils. I could never use my fun, fancy pencils until I got home. If you’re still in school, do you ever wonder that, too?  What’s the big deal anyway? A pencil is a pencil, Right? 

Well, now that I am a little older I realize what the difference is. After you read this, you will too!  And, if you are an artist, you may already know.

What is a pencil anyway?  A classic wood pencil is a piece of cylinder-shaped graphite called lead, wrapped in wood, usually painted yellow on the outside with an eraser on one end. And, usually, it is used for writing or drawing. We always had to get some for school every year.

But as the note above says, pencils are actually made and numbered depending on how hard the lead is inside of them. There are different grades of hardness and, therefore, different numbers. Common pencil grades range from #1, #2, #3 and #4. The higher the number, the harder the lead and the lighter the marking. No. 1 pencils are considered the softest and produce the darkest markings and are better for art that requires darker lines. And if a little shading is required, these will smudge better than the others.

In school, certain tests are given that can be graded by machine.  I remember taking tests every so often that required us to color in the circle or oval representing the correct answer.  We could only use No. 2 pencils when we did this. That was what the automatic grading machine could read best.  If done correctly it could save the teachers lots of time. 

However, before putting each test into the machine to be graded, they had to make sure every little mark other than the answer was erased or it would not grade the test correctly. So, in the end, I wonder just how much time it saves the teachers? Hopefully lots!

Well, today they make all kinds of pencils with cool designs and colors. And who knows what machines they have now to automatically grade tests. I bet they have some that don’t even require pencils. Even so, I don’t think I will ever trade in my trusty No. 2!