ballpoint pen

Also known as biro, ball pen, ballpoint

writing implement

AI overview

A ballpoint pen is a writing instrument that uses a small rotating metal ball to dispense ink onto paper as you write. It matters because it's a practical, affordable, and reliable tool that has become one of the most widely used pens in the world.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Image: 03-BICcristal2008-03-26.jpg

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Commons gallery: Ballpoint
Commons category: Ballpens
exact match: wordnet-rdf.princeton.edu/wn31/102778453-n
Unicode character: 🖊
time of discovery or invention: 1888-00-00
inception: 1888-00-00

Sources (4)

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Article

A ballpoint pen, also known as a biro (British English), ball pen (Bangladeshi, Hong Kong, Indian, Indonesian, Pakistani, Japanese and Philippine English), or dot pen (Nepali English and South Asian English), is a pen that dispenses ink (usually in paste form) over a hard ball at its point, i.e., over a "ball point". The materials commonly used are steel, brass, or tungsten carbide. The design was conceived and developed as a cleaner and more reliable alternative to dip pens and fountain pens, and it is now the world's most-used writing instrument; millions are manufactured and sold daily. It has influenced art and graphic design and spawned an artwork genre.

History