Length (new)1.9 tenths m
238 billionthsFlorida lengths
3.8 hundredthsBamboo pole lengths
190 billionGamma ray wavelengths
19 cm / 7.5 inches before sharpening
Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash
Standard No. 2 Pencil
The writing instrument that built civilization, one graphite line at a time/Everyday Objects
The standard No. 2 (HB) pencil is one of the most produced objects in human history, with over 14 billion manufactured annually worldwide. A single pencil can draw a line roughly 56 kilometers long or write around 45,000 words. The 'lead' inside is actually a mix of graphite and clay, and has never contained actual lead. The yellow color became standard in the 1890s to signal high-quality graphite from China, where yellow symbolizes royalty.
Measurements
Mass6 thousandths kg
115 trillionthsTitanics
14.3 billionthsSpace Stations
About 6 grams of cedar wood and graphite
Writing line distance56,000 m
311,111Bananas
70,000Folding chair heights
~56 km of continuous line; roughly 45,000 words
Diameter7 thousandths m
29.8 billionthsJamaica lengths
2 tenthsBanana widths
2.6 thousandthsPool tables
Standard hexagonal cross-section; ~7 mm across flats
Graphite core diameter2 thousandths m
20Paper thicknesses
3.8 thousandthsHuman forearms
~2 mm for a standard No. 2 pencil