Lead pencil crisis.... - Page 2

JurseyRider734 · 03-14-2007, 08:47 PM

Lead?

Um...they stopped using lead years ago because it caused lead poisoning. Every pencil is now made with graphite.

way to go.

**Windscarredfaith** · 03-14-2007, 08:49 PM

Mechanical pencils. <3

PS- Morning Glory, ftw.

meiloyn · 03-14-2007, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JurseyRider734

Lead?

Um...they stopped using lead years ago because it caused lead poisoning. Every pencil is now made with graphite.

way to go.

I know it's graphite, but the habit of calling it lead is hard to break.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pntballa18

I doubt your teacher wants you to solve the roots into decimal form. He probably just wants you to simplify the radicals.

So that's what she meant by "simplify", huh? I assumed the decimal form was the simplified form because you could simplify 'square root of 2' into a number, just like you could simplify 'square root of 36' into 6.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fluffygdog95

What do all these .7's and .5's mean? Don't you all just carry a hunk of graphite around?

They are the diameter of the graphite sticks in millimeters, I think. .5 and .7 are the most common sizes. The size your pencil uses should be marked on your pencil.

pntballa18 · 03-14-2007, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meiloyn

I know it's graphite, but the habit of calling it lead is hard to break.

How is it a habit? I doubt you were alive when lead was used in pencils.

**Windscarredfaith** · 03-14-2007, 09:29 PM

I wish they sold the graphite in less than .5 here. Taiwan has this awesome .3 kind to refill .3 mechanical pencils. It's awesome and it's so easy to write small on paper.

LythincaMan · 03-14-2007, 10:52 PM

Its actually Grafite, not lead. Lead is poisoness and can kill you.

justom · 03-14-2007, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Windscarredfaith

I wish they sold the graphite in less than .5 here. Taiwan has this awesome .3 kind to refill .3 mechanical pencils. It's awesome and it's so easy to write small on paper.

I wish we had .3 mechanical pencials here

I like writing small.

jamuko · 03-15-2007, 01:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrawingJunkie

I decided to search online and found .3 mechanical pencils for about $4, without shipping. That must be quite a pencil you have there XD

Seriously XD that thing is a monster. It's made of metal and can retract the entire tip of the pencil without having to draw the lead back in. Honestly I'd probably prefer a lighter-weight pencil (I once had a super-light .5 from Japan that rocked) but I paid $20 for that darn thing, so I'd better love it. XD

Quote:

Originally Posted by Windscarredfaith

I wish they sold the graphite in less than .5 here. Taiwan has this awesome .3 kind to refill .3 mechanical pencils. It's awesome and it's so easy to write small on paper.

I got the .3 refills too, in the same brand as all the common ones. ^^ They do sell it here, just less commonly. Try checking a big office supply store, or maybe an art store.

Tek.Ni.Que · 03-15-2007, 01:39 AM

.9 <-- the way to go

**Kilgamayan** · 03-15-2007, 02:23 AM

^ WTF

kevins_bebe · 03-15-2007, 02:33 AM

i'd much rather use wooden pencils. i don't care for mech. pencils because they always get stolen where i am. and i don't mind getting out of my desk and sharpening my pencils. but for me.. i get like 6 pencils sharpened and then i bring all that... instead of walking back and forth every five minutes.

jamuko · 03-15-2007, 02:51 AM

Even with .5 pencils, I'm always rotating it so I can get the sharpest edge. :/

JurseyRider734 · 03-15-2007, 05:21 AM

.9 isn't really that thick, Kilga. I dunno if you were saying WTF to that or not. The highest thickness of mechanical pencil graphite goes is 2.0, but you rarely see it. It's used for artwork, designing, etc.

And yeah, graphite started to be used around 1820...soo...it seems pretty ignorant for someone to call them "lead pencils".

It's actually graphite + clay. The less clay, the darker the pencil mark will be.

jamuko · 03-15-2007, 01:38 PM

Yeah, it bugged me too that mechanical pencils were being referred to as "lead pencils" when really any pencil including wooden is a "lead" pencil (yes, even though it's no longer made of actual lead), but I didn't point it out because I didn't want to be pretentious about it. :/

But really, everyone calls those little graphite sticks "lead". Everyone knows it's not actually lead, but it's just one of those terms that stuck anyway. There's nothing wrong with calling them that.

Edit: it's even in the dictionary.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dictionary.com

lead2 /lɛd/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[led] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
...
5. black lead or graphite.
6. a small stick of graphite, as used in pencils.

meiloyn · 03-16-2007, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pntballa18

How is it a habit? I doubt you were alive when lead was used in pencils.

The reason why we call graphite lead is because other people do. Same reason why I have a mild prep accent: from listening to preps talk and scream at each other all the time, which appears to be all they do. (I say 'like' more often than I need to and I'm starting to say 'oh my god' more) Ugh. They make my head ache just thinking about them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JurseyRider734

It's actually graphite + clay. The less clay, the darker the pencil mark will be.

I know this. Pencil is the only physical medium I actually work with, and I use two weights: 3H and HB. (Sometimes I use charcoal, but that's rare so it doesn't count)

Chrissi · 03-16-2007, 06:32 PM

.5 or .7. I have .5s right now. In the past I've used .7s. I've never seen or heard of .9 or .3 before this. I'd be interested in .3. I didn't know they had anything EXCEPT HB leads... I thought that's just what people called them or it was a brand or something. Now I know it refers to the weight.

I never have a problem with my lead breaking anymore. I used to but I guess I just changed to a shorter tip.

I also hate wooden pencils. Can't stand them. I don't think anybody even uses them at university - I almost forgot that they existed. I don't see pencil sharpeners ANYWHERE. Wooden pencils are so inconvenient and unreliable.

**Shashakiro** · 03-16-2007, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meiloyn

Also, does anyone know a guess-free method to finding the square root of an unfamiliar number without having to use a calculator? I'm asking because if this guessing game keeps up, I'm going to fail the future test, or at least manage to answer 4 questions by the time class is over.

There is no way that you'd be able to do on a test, sans memorization.

I doubt your teacher will ask you to know the square root of anything above 625 that doesn't end in 0, so just memorize everything up to that if you're worried.

Serdash · 03-17-2007, 03:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meiloyn

They are useless when you have to write numbers in fraction form. They come out too blurry to read.

Solution = write larger numbers.
(Yes, I realize the discussion has somewhat strayed from the original topic and has gone to lead and stuff.)

03-14-2007, 08:49 PM	#22
Windscarredfaith (づ￣ ³￣)づ watermelon Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: New Jersey Age: 34 Posts: 2,612	Re: Lead pencil crisis.... Mechanical pencils. <3 PS- Morning Glory, ftw. __________________

03-14-2007, 09:29 PM	#25
Windscarredfaith (づ￣ ³￣)づ watermelon Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: New Jersey Age: 34 Posts: 2,612	Re: Lead pencil crisis.... I wish they sold the graphite in less than .5 here. Taiwan has this awesome .3 kind to refill .3 mechanical pencils. It's awesome and it's so easy to write small on paper. __________________

03-14-2007, 10:52 PM	#26
LythincaMan FFR Player Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Ontario, Canada Age: 33 Posts: 661	Re: Lead pencil crisis.... Its actually Grafite, not lead. Lead is poisoness and can kill you. __________________

03-15-2007, 01:39 AM	#29
Tek.Ni.Que FFR Player Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: monroe NJ Age: 38 Posts: 46	Re: Lead pencil crisis.... .9 <-- the way to go

03-15-2007, 02:23 AM	#30
Kilgamayan Super Scooter Happy Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Location, Location. Age: 39 Posts: 6,583	Re: Lead pencil crisis.... ^ WTF __________________ I watched clouds awobbly from the floor o' that kayak. Souls cross ages like clouds cross skies, an' tho' a cloud's shape nor hue nor size don't stay the same, it's still a cloud an' so is a soul. Who can say where the cloud's blowed from or who the soul'll be 'morrow? Only Sonmi the east an' the west an' the compass an' the atlas, yay, only the atlas o' clouds.

03-15-2007, 02:33 AM	#31
kevins_bebe FFR Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: in my house :D Posts: 135	Re: Lead pencil crisis.... i'd much rather use wooden pencils. i don't care for mech. pencils because they always get stolen where i am. and i don't mind getting out of my desk and sharpening my pencils. but for me.. i get like 6 pencils sharpened and then i bring all that... instead of walking back and forth every five minutes. __________________

03-15-2007, 02:51 AM	#32
jamuko FFR Player Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: あｓｄｆ。 Posts: 1,083	Re: Lead pencil crisis.... Even with .5 pencils, I'm always rotating it so I can get the sharpest edge. :/ __________________ ♪~ Always Happy! Smile! Hello! I like delicious things I shoot eye beams at the things I hate and make them explode! (Yay!) So Happy! Smile! Hello! It's a picnic every day There's lots of happiness in my pocket So let's play forever~

03-16-2007, 06:32 PM	#36
Chrissi FFR Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: The Game Age: 37 Posts: 3,019	Re: Lead pencil crisis.... .5 or .7. I have .5s right now. In the past I've used .7s. I've never seen or heard of .9 or .3 before this. I'd be interested in .3. I didn't know they had anything EXCEPT HB leads... I thought that's just what people called them or it was a brand or something. Now I know it refers to the weight. I never have a problem with my lead breaking anymore. I used to but I guess I just changed to a shorter tip. I also hate wooden pencils. Can't stand them. I don't think anybody even uses them at university - I almost forgot that they existed. I don't see pencil sharpeners ANYWHERE. Wooden pencils are so inconvenient and unreliable. __________________ C is for Charisma, it's why people think I'm great! I make my friends all laugh and smile and never want to hate! Last edited by Chrissi; 03-16-2007 at 06:35 PM..

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)