Periodic Table Exercises

The periodic table of the elements is one of the primary tools needed for the study of chemistry. Contained in the table is a great deal of information regarding the elements and their atomic structures. You can learn about the elements and use the periodic table to its full extent with these fun exercises and activities.

Learn Periodic Table Symbols

There are some basic aspects of the periodic table that you need to know for it to be an effective tool. On many versions of the periodic table, element names are omitted or written in very small type. Symbols, made of one or two letters, are used instead. Many of the symbols match the element name, such as He for helium or O for oxygen, while others are harder to guess, such as Au for gold and Sb for antimony.

You can learn these symbols and associate them with the correct elements. Flash cards and crossword puzzles are excellent ways to teach and learn these. On flash cards, write the element's symbol on one side and the name on the other. For elements with unusual symbols, you can add an explanation for the symbol (usually due to the Latin name for the element). For crossword puzzles, use the symbols as clues, while the elements' names must fit into the squares of the puzzle.

Learn Periodic Table Numbers

Atomic numbers, equal to the number of protons in an atom's nucleus, are also important for using the periodic table. The elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic number, rising from left to right and from top to bottom. The other number commonly seen for each element is the atomic mass, equivalent to the average mass of one atom of the element (the sum of the protons and the neutrons).

You can simulate atomic numbers and atomic masses using collections of small objects. Candies, small balls, cotton balls and pennies are all possibilities for this. The only restriction is that you need two types of objects, one type to be the protons and one type to be the neutrons. Using the periodic table and its numbers as a guide, arrange your objects into atoms. An atom with an atomic number of 8 and an atomic mass of 16, would have 8 "proton" objects and 8 "neutron" objects. By making different atoms, the great variation in atomic mass can be seen. When the atomic mass of an element is not a whole number (some elements have atomic masses like chlorine's of 35.5), round the atomic mass to the nearest whole number.

Group the Elements on the Periodic Table

The periodic table is divided and organized in several ways. One of the most important divisions is the grouping of elements into columns. The columns of the table list elements that share the same number of valence electrons, meaning electrons in the outer shell of the electron cloud. All of the elements in a group share chemical and physical properties as a result of this.

For the exercise, make a collection of cards. Each card should have the name of an element along with some of its physical or chemical properties. For example, the card for sodium could have its symbol (Na), the atomic number, number of valence electrons or some of its chemical properties (makes a positive ion, reacts strongly with water, etc.). Make sure you have several elements that are in the same group as each other. The student then has to arrange the elements into groups based on the properties on the cards. Compare the results of the grouping with the actual periodic table to see the logic of how the periodic table was constructed.