Which of the following is used in pencils? A) Silicon B) Phosphorous C) Graphite D) Charcoal

The core of a pencil is composed of graphite (a form of compressed carbon) and clay. This graphite core is commonly called a “lead” (like the metal), though it does not, nor has it ever, contained lead. The reason it is called “lead” is that when the material was first discovered, it was erroneously believed to be a form of lead ore.