What is the purpose a pencil sharpener?

Answer 1

to open the carbon rod inside the wooden body of a pencil, to use for drawing and writing.

Answer 2

its purpose is to sharpen the wooden pencil. if the pencil sharpener wasent inveneted then we would have to keep sharpening a pencil with a knife

Answer 3

Pencils don't need to be painted, they can be left as plain wood, but I think manufacturers found that people preferred the smoothness of the painted surface (less splinters for one thing!)