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How do pencil erasers work? |
by Mya Kagan (whyzz writer) >> more about the author
Eraser Alternatives
Erasers are pretty cool -- they let you fix mistakes or change the way a drawing looks by getting rid of the pencil lines (or sometimes even pen lines) on your paper!
Most erasers today are made from rubber, plastic, or vinyl. Exactly how an eraser removes a pencil line depends a little on the exact type of eraser, but there are two main techniques: An eraser either works by scratching away the line of writing using abrasive substances in its mixture, or, it works by being sticky and “picking up” the dark lines of graphite left behind by your writing utensil! – Lots of erasers are made to do a little bit of each.
So when you misspell a word or want to draw the tree in your picture a little bigger, an eraser can help you change the other markings on your page by scratching them off and picking them up off the page! – Cool!!
Eraser Alternatives
Although the materials in an eraser are chosen to be really effective at scratching off and picking up the color of your pencil or certain kinds of pens, there are other materials that you can try using to help with erasing, too!
Try drawing a pencil line on a piece of paper, and then see if you can use a small piece of tape to help “erase” it. You’ll have to hold on to the tape tightly and stick it down against the page really quickly so that it doesn’t stick and stay stuck. Does it pick up any of the pencil lines? Why do you think we usually choose erasers over tape for most of our erasing?
