Why does permanent marker erase after retracing it with dry-erase?
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What dry-erase marker lays down is ink suspended in a fast-evaporating solvent. By definition, the solvent has to be able to dissolve ink. So when you write with it on top of “permanent” marker, the original “permanent” ink dissolves in this solvent too, and can then be wiped away.
The ink in markers is a combination of a solid and a liquid, because the pigments are always solid without a liquid.
That liquid evaporates after you draw with the marker, which is why it seems wet and can smear sometimes right after you write.
Dry erase markers just add something to the liquid that keeps the ink from attaching really strongly to the whiteboard, but still have the liquid the normal marker has.
So when you draw on a mark made by a marker, you’re reapplying that liquid and then the pigment mixes the added non-stick piece that makes dry erase markers cool.
It’s the solvent, like the other commenters stated.
Fun fact: I used to carry around some isopropyl alcohol when I was in the army to erase the markings on whatever map we were working on. It worked well.
Edit: we also carried little hand sanitizer bottles for field ops and they worked as well.
What 5yo knows what a solvent is?
dry erase has magic in it that make it do that. that magic is alcohol or something so it cleans the other one up.
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