A pencil is a writing or drawing implement with a solid pigment core in a protective casing that reduces the risk of core breakage and keeps it from marking the user's hand. Pencils create marks by physical abrasion, leaving a trail of solid core material that adheres to a sheet of paper or other surface. Most pencil cores are made of graphite powder mixed with a clay binder. Graphite pencils produce grey or black marks that are easily erased but otherwise resistant to moisture, most chemicals, ultraviolet radiation, and natural aging. Other types of pencil cores, such as those of charcoal, are mainly used for drawing and sketching. Colored pencils are sometimes used by teachers or editors to correct submitted texts but are typically regarded as art supplies, especially those with cores made from wax-based binders that tend to smear when used
. A pencil is a writing utensil with a graphite lead embedded in a wooden shaft, mainly used for artistic sketching and drawing, for stenography, or notes. Its benefits include simple usage and the ability to remove what has been drawn with an eraser
. According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, a pencil is a long, thin object, usually made of wood, for writing or drawing, with a sharp black or colored point at one end
. Britannica describes a pencil as a slender rod of a solid marking substance, such as graphite, enclosed in a cylinder of wood, metal, or plastic, used as an implement for writing, drawing, or marking
