How Does a Ballpoint Pen Work?
Parts That Make the Ballpoint Pen Work We use ballpoint pens in our day-to-day life. They are used at school, home and the office. Most of us know ballpoint pens don’t write very well when the writing tip is higher than its opposite end. That is because it is primarily a gravity-reliant writing instrument. The ballpoint pen has four basic parts that enable it to work; the writing tip, socket, ink reservoir and the connecting tube. Inner Workings There is a reason for this style of pen to have the name “ballpoint”. Its writing tip is actually a tiny ball that is fitted into a socket, allowing it to roll around freely. The small ball can be made of a steel, tungsten carbide or brass. A narrow tube, called the ink reservoir, holds the ink, and a connecting tube connects the ink reservoir to the socket and ball. When we hold a ballpoint pen in our hand and begin to write, the ball rolls around in the socket, moving ink from inside the pen to the writing paper. Because of its design, the in
