When studying science, you will be introduced to a periodic table to understand chemical elements. Although it looks complicated, how to read periodic table can be done easily.
There are some tips that you can follow to understand this periodic table more easily. You can follow the complete guide below, and you will be able to understand the periodic table faster!
How to Read Periodic Table Easily?
To understand and define each element in the periodic table, you can follow these tips.
1. Read from Top Left to Bottom Right
You need to know, the arrangement of the periodic table is a depiction of atomic numbers.
The table on top left starts with the smallest atoms and will get bigger as the table is read towards the bottom right.
This atomic number shows the number of protons possessed by an atom of a chemical element.
That way, you can find out the weight of a chemical element just by looking at its position in the periodic table.
Besides being affected by the amount of protons, the position of element atoms on the periodic table is also affected by neutrons. However, the increase in electron material doesn’t have a significant effect on atomic weight.
2. Understanding Chemical Elements
As mentioned earlier, the amount of protons an atomic element has on the right side of the table must be more than the atom on the left side.
Now, to know the chemical elements of each table, you can look at the atomic number from left to right.
The chemical elements are divided into 3 groups. For example, the first line has atomic number 1 which indicates hydrogen. While atomic number 2 is helium.
These two elements are positioned at the left and right ends of the table because they belong to different groups.
3. Learn the Classes of Atoms with the Same Physical Characteristics
In the periodic table, you will find several different colors. These color differences are to identify elements that have the same chemical and physical characteristics.
This identification of physical and chemical characteristics is also to identify reactions of a chemical element.
Interestingly, there is one chemical element that is included in two groups, hydrogen.
Yes, if other chemical elements are included in one group, hydrogen is a group of halogens or alkali metals. In fact, hydrogen also appears in two classes in the periodic table.
4. Each Row is Called a Period
The number of atomic orbitals of each chemical element in one period is the same, which will be crossed by certain electrons.
The number of orbitals also corresponds to the total number of periods in the periodic table.
As the periodic table shows 7 rows, it means that the number of periods is also 7.
Another example is an element that has period 1, so the orbital is 1. This will be defined by the number 1-7 from top to bottom.
5. Don’t Ignore Blank Spaces
In the periodic table, you will find blank spaces. The reason is, the more chemical elements in the periodic table, the more difficult the classification becomes.
For example, in the first 3 rows of the table, you will find blank spaces that function for transition metals with atomic number 21.
6. Understand the Difference between Metals, Semi-Metals and Non-Metals
One of the reasons why you need to understand types of elements on a periodic table is to know the nature of the element.
The color classification distinguishes whether the element is a metal, semi-metal or non-metal.
The position of metal elements is on the right, while non-metals are on the left, and semimetals are between the two.
FAQs How to Read Periodic Table
What is the easiest way to read the periodic table?
The easiest way to read the periodic table is to start from the top left and move to the bottom right. This helps you understand the arrangement of elements by their atomic numbers, which represent the number of protons in each element.
What do the colors in the periodic table represent?
The colors in the periodic table are used to distinguish elements based on their chemical and physical properties. These colors help identify metals, non-metals, and metalloids, as well as the different groups or families of elements.
What are periods in the periodic table?
Periods in the periodic table refer to the rows of elements. Each period corresponds to a level of electron shells or orbitals, and there are a total of 7 periods in the periodic table.
Conclusion
How to read periodic table is very easy, right?
To help you better understand each element in it, you can join a class at Bestmind. With Mr. Daniel Tay, you or your child can learn science more easily, relaxed and fun.
