What do you have your students memorize when memorizing the Periodic Table?

[HappyGrace]

Is just the name, symbol, and atomic number good? Do you do all the elements or just the ones in the top part of the chart (not the lanthinides/actinides), or something else? What about numbers 113-118? Is there a common practice as to what they should memorize?

 

(This is for an 8th grader in physical science who will get chem again in high school-want her to memorize it now so it's done.)

 

Thanks!

[regentrude]

nothing. we don't memorize the periodic table. Don't see a reason to.

Once you do actual chemistry, the important stuff will automatically be memorized from repeated use.

[Julie of KY]

I don't see any value in memorizing the periodic table, though I know many people do it and many test on it.

 

Through repeated use I can rattle off many of the elements, atomic numbers and atomic weights to multiple decimal points, but this has been learned by repeatedly looking it up.

 

Memorizing the periodic table does nothing for understanding chemistry concepts and I think the time can be much better spent learning something else.

[In The Great White North]

We don't memorize it either.

[Muttichen]

We had our kids memorize it young, like a chant, because we were into classical education and that's just the kind of thing we did.  The older kids were memorizing it, and it was a joke because the little two-year-old in the booster seat would say the whole thing in baby talk.  Now that baby is 14 and taking Chem 101, and the order of the elements came right back to her.  She would probably do just as well without it, but I guess it didn't hurt her any!

[Nscribe]

Other than making sure they know how to read the table, nothing. 

[HappyGrace]

Well, great! That makes it a lot easier then and saves us some time!

 

I remember memorizing it and just figured that was how it's done :)

 

Thanks, everyone!

[KellyMama]

Haha, I always feel better when I read threads like this! I also had to memorize the whole thing and be able to fill in the blank squares. I am so totally relieved I won't need to do this with my chem-phobic dd in a few years (or ever)!!!! :hurray:

[swimmermom3]

Our focus here is on understanding how the periodic table is constructed, so the student knows how to pull information from the most basic of tables. I would agree with regentrude and Julie that the further you get into chemistry, the more likely you are to acquire a working knowledge of the elements and their charges. You end up knowing the atomic mass of most of the basic elements. For learning the symbols, both ds and I have an ap for a periodic table quiz. Carolina Biological Supply also has an ap for chemical formulas that is helpful as well. Ds takes mass transit to sailing and can do quick reviews on his way.

[hsbeth]

Dh is a chem and physics teacher. He makes his students memorize the first 20 elements (name, symbol, and atomic number). He also has them learn the name/symbol combination of a few other select elements. They also have to memorize the polyatomic ions (ie glucose, etc.)

[EKS]

I would never have a student memorize the periodic table.  If they do enough problems (as they will in a solid chemistry course), they will naturally learn the information for the most common elements.

[Alice]

I think it’s useful to memorize the element symbols and names for the most commonly seen elements. It makes it easier to know that K is potassium or Ag is silver when you are trying to look them up or see them in an equation.

 

 But I think all the rest of the information (weights, numbers, etc) can be looked up....in my mind that’s what the whole point of having a periodic table is. So you can quickly look up the information in an organized place and not have to memorize it all. It’s important to understand the information and why it’s organized the way it is. 

[Kareni]

While studying the periodic table, make sure you listen to Tom Lehrer's song The Elements.

 

My husband and I both have advanced degrees in Chemistry; however, neither of us sees the use of memorizing the periodic table.  We're big Tom Lehrer fans though, and our daughter did memorize The Elements song for fun.

 

One more thought, The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe by Theodore Gray is a stunning book that your child might enjoy browsing through.

Regards,
Kareni

[HappyGrace]

Thanks-we listened to and loved that song quite awhile back! Ordered the book.

 

Told dd she doesn't have to memorize it but she wants to memorize at least some of them. I have a great poster from years ago of a cool periodic table so that is helping :)   We'll prbly play some of the McHenry elements games too for fun as a family.

[JanetC]

Something more useful than the names and atomic numbers is to learn the properties associated with different sections of the periodic table.  For example, where are the noble gases?  where are the elements with the highest electronegativity?  what do elements in this column have in common?  etc.

[Nscribe]

 

 

One more thought, The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe by Theodore Gray is a stunning book that your child might enjoy browsing through.

 

Regards,

Kareni

This book is stunning!  A must have.  I intend to keep it to cycle on the coffee table long after Dd is away at college somewhere.

[Twigs]

Element – Symbol – Latin Name

Antimony – Sb – Stibium

Copper – Cu – Cuprum

Gold – Au – Aurum

Iron – Fe – Ferrum

Lead – Pb – Plumbum

Mercury – Hg – Hydragyrum

Potassium – K – Kalium

Silver – Ag – Argentum

Sodium – Na – Natrium

Tin – Sn – Stannum

Tungsten – W – Wolfram

 

Formula – Name – Normal state

H2 – hydrogen – colorless gas

N2 – nitrogen – colorless gas

O2 – oxygen – colorless gas

F2 – fluorine – pale yellow gas

Cl2 – chlorine – greenish yellow gas

Br2 – bromine – dark red liquid

I2 – iodine – violet black solid

[SailorMom]

We memorize only the most commonly used ones, but it's more for convenience than for any kind of test.  I had him memorize the name,symbol, and atomic number.  Beyond that, just getting comfortable with where an element would be based on its atomic number is helpful, and what the big groups have in common. 

[Woodhaven]

One more thought, The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe by Theodore Gray is a stunning book that your child might enjoy browsing through.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

My kids LOVE this book!

[Luckymama]

Very much NOT a chemistry book but Solar System by the same folks who published The Elements is our latest obsession http://www.amazon.com/Solar-System-Exploration-Planets-Heavenly/dp/B0064XUSLS/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=3O72DBBXGQZ97&coliid=ILS0MGT8MPCGJ

[Dicentra]

While studying the periodic table, make sure you listen to Tom Lehrer's song The Elements.

 

My husband and I both have advanced degrees in Chemistry; however, neither of us sees the use of memorizing the periodic table.  We're big Tom Lehrer fans though, and our daughter did memorize The Elements song for fun.

 

One more thought, The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe by Theodore Gray is a stunning book that your child might enjoy browsing through.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

Very much NOT a chemistry book but Solar System by the same folks who published The Elements is our latest obsession http://www.amazon.com/Solar-System-Exploration-Planets-Heavenly/dp/B0064XUSLS/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=3O72DBBXGQZ97&coliid=ILS0MGT8MPCGJ

 

Those two books are gorgeous.  I have the elements book but not the Solar System one.  Thanks for sharing, Luckymama!

 

The Elements song is great fun.  It always gets stuck in my head for days afterwards. :D

 

I agree with the above posters who have said that knowing how the periodic table is arranged and why it's arranged that way is more important than memorizing it.  The study of the arrangement of the periodic table is called periodicity.  Like others have said, students will end up memorizing most of the common elements and their atomic masses just from having to use them constantly in questions and problem sets.  In addition, the more students use the table the more they'll be able to remember approximately where most of the elements are on the table so they'll be able to find things more quickly.

[FaithManor]

I agree with Regentrude. But, I have to admit that the youtube video of Daniel Radcliffe singing the periodic table is cute. At one point he has to tell them to stop clapping to the beat because it's tripping him up...you know...audiences always get off tempo, speed up, or slow down.

 

Here's the link:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSAaiYKF0cs

 

Theo Gray's books are wonderful! We have so much fun with them. We've done several of the experiments with more than one "skull" warning with our 4-H club. Most of them aren't truly dangerous IF safety protocols are followed, and we are sticklers for safety protocols. Our 4-h program coordinator always says things like, "It's been a fantastic year for 4-H. The kids have accomplished so much that we can be very proud of and another season has passed without the H's burning any 4-H members to the ground!" :D I guess that is our badge of honor.

 

I have an elements collection. Up until I really started attempting to collect the more expensive metals and the radioactive substances, it was coming together nicely. I had to harvest americium from old, discarded smoke detectors, and I'm a regular customer of United Nuclear (Lansing, MI area). However, I'm fairly stumped on a good portion of the radioactive elements and some metals are a bit beyond my budget at the present time even though they are available for "regular people" ;) to purchase.

 

Warning, don't let your minors play around with pure sodium. Bad, bad, bad things happen. Instead, give them uranium marbles as stocking stuffers.

[Elisabet1]

We do the symbols and names only, and only the more common ones. For an 8th grader, I would leave it at that. She can learn more when she gets older. I would think it would be hard to do Chemistry without knowing the basics of what K or O stands for.

[Elisabet1]

I agree with Regentrude. But, I have to admit that the youtube video of Daniel Radcliffe singing the periodic table is cute. At one point he has to tell them to stop clapping to the beat because it's tripping him up...you know...audiences always get off tempo, speed up, or slow down.

 

Here's the link:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSAaiYKF0cs

 

Theo Gray's books are wonderful! We have so much fun with them. We've done several of the experiments with more than one "skull" warning with our 4-H club. Most of them aren't truly dangerous IF safety protocols are followed, and we are sticklers for safety protocols. Our 4-h program coordinator always says things like, "It's been a fantastic year for 4-H. The kids have accomplished so much that we can be very proud of and another season has passed without the H's burning any 4-H members to the ground!" :D I guess that is our badge of honor.

 

I have an elements collection. Up until I really started attempting to collect the more expensive metals and the radioactive substances, it was coming together nicely. I had to harvest americium from old, discarded smoke detectors, and I'm a regular customer of United Nuclear (Lansing, MI area). However, I'm fairly stumped on a good portion of the radioactive elements and some metals are a bit beyond my budget at the present time even though they are available for "regular people" ;) to purchase.

 

Warning, don't let your minors play around with pure sodium. Bad, bad, bad things happen. Instead, give them uranium marbles as stocking stuffers.

I never even thought about an elements collection! How cool! Maybe we need to start this this Christmas. Umm...on that note..how did you get started? How do you store it all?

[FaithManor]

Most of my elements are in small amounts. Pure sodium, due to it's volatility, comes in specially wrapped foil, sealed packets containing usually only an ounce or half an ounce, maybe even just a few grams, at a time. My uranium shale and marbles are very small. The vile of uranium shale is very petitite. Americium...literally there is only one grain encased in a grain of gold per metal detector...so again, put inside a tiny vial, and I keep my radioactive elements in an old lead lined metal lock box. The box came from an army/navy surplus store. Many of the vitamins/minerals vital to human anatomy are dirt cheap to get in a fairly pure form. Pure potassium is carried by many pharmacies, but you have to ask for it and sign a form to get it. We use that a lot for making homemade rocket fuel. There are many websites for purchasing chemicals. Carolina Biological, The Chemistry Shop, United Nuclear, Chemistry Depot, etc. We hit the jackpot when a local high school was closing down and selling their laboratory contents for pennies on the dollar. I bought mineral collections, chemicals, you name it plus tons of equipment...$5000.00 worth of lab supplies for $250.00. My collection really began that day when I realized just how many items I had. Lead, copper, zinc, pure calcium, mercury, iron, etc. Obviously, those radioactive elements that are tightly controlled, have short half lives, etc. are not a part of my collection. I do use electrolysis to occasionally collect hydrogen with 4-H students, and helium can be gotten from the welding supply store when I need it. But, the gaseous elements obviously aren't collected, just occasionally purchased or created for use in demonstration. MSU is going to give me some food grade liquid nitrogen  (normally a rather expensive item) so I can do a "Frostbite Theater" presentation for 4-H and then make instant ice cream.

 

Some of them are very simple to get. Carbon - a good piece of graphite pencil "lead" from the art section of Hobby Lobby will do. Gold - while pure is pretty expensive - an 18K gold bracelet purchased cheaply at a garage sale makes a nice sample. Magnesium is not expensive purchased from United Nuclear.

 

I keep most of them in metal lock boxes, their own packaging, with packets of silica to help absorb moisture. The sodium is not only in it's own moisture resistant wrapping, it is also kept separate of the others and I actually bury the packets in a little pure sand - pure sand, not dirt which contains other elements and compounds and becomes moist - to ensure that no H2O molecules make it through the packaging. The last thing I need is for the sodium to begin reacting.  Wear leather gloves if you get it out just in case your packaging has deteriorated for some reason. It will send you to the ER with bad burns just from reacting with the moisture in your skin. It is not to be messed with. That said, in tiny amounts with proper safety protocols observed, I have demonstrated it's volatility to 4-H students. You can look up youtube videos of people messing with it. Some of these people do have a healthy respect for the substance, and others are pretty much lucky to have not won a Darwin Award for their folly. On one episode of Mythbusters, Jamie and Adam create a small reaction inside a reactor bowl placed inside a box created of safety plexi-glass. It's pretty neat. I, however, refuse to possibly sacrifice my very expensive reactor bowl to the experiment. One miscalculation, a few too many grains of sodium, and BAM, it will be shattered.

 

The one thing that won't do is storing your elements in cardboard boxes and basements. You need a more controlled environment than that if you want the collection to last and those little packets of silica are your friend. Also, if you happen to come into possession of some pure sand, wear a lab coat, gloves, and mask when you handle it. Pure sand inhaled is VERY bad for your lungs. Here is a link to making some of your own; it's a neat chemistry experiment, but again, safety protocols, safety protocols, safety protocols....http://chemistry.about.com/od/makechemicalsyourself/a/Make-Pure-Sand-Or-Silica.htm

 

I have a lot of fun experimenting with elements with my own children and our 4-H club. But they should be respected. Mercury is toxic, lead is toxic, hands should be washed after handling the uranium marbles and certainly before eating, etc. Kids need to get into the habit of wearing the appropriate gear, respecting the awesome forces of nature, and washing up properly after the experiment, both their bodies and the equipment as well as testing surfaces. There is plenty of information available on the web about how to dispose of specific substances and clean up afterwards.

 

Have fun!

Faith

[Dicentra]

Awesome element collection, Faith!  I'm jealous. :)

 

A note - it's probably not pure potassium you're getting from your pharmacist.  More likely to be pure potassium nitrate or chlorate.  Pure potassium is a metal in the same group as sodium on the periodic table and would have a similar but more violent reaction to water like sodium did.  Potassium metal will actually cause a flame when it contacts water (the hydrogen the reaction produces is burning).  It's a pretty purple-ish flame. :)