Tile Basics
What does the large capital letter or pair of letters in the exact center of an element tile stand for?
The Chemical Symbol
What name is given to the flat horizontal rows that run all the way across the periodic table?
Periods
Gold, Silver, Iron, and Copper all belong to which tough, shiny, classic family of heavy metals?
Transition Metals
Which family sits in Group 1, is soft enough to cut with a butter knife, and violently bursts into flames when touched by water?
Alkali Metals
"I am the ultimate organic shapeshifter. In one form I am soft black pencil lead, but rearrange my atoms and I become a sparkling diamond. Who am I?"
Carbon
What specific subatomic particles are you counting when you look at an element's Atomic Number?
Protons
What name is given to the vertical columns that stretch from the top of the table to the bottom?
Groups (or Families)
Which column of gas elements is famously called "Noble" because they are completely stable and never naturally bond with others?
Noble Gases (Group 18)
Which column contains highly aggressive, choking, toxic gases like Chlorine and Fluorine?
Halogens (Group 17)
"I completely break the rules of metals by remaining a thick, silver liquid at room temperature. I am beautiful but highly toxic. Who am I?"
Mercury
What number on the tile tells you the total weight of an atom's nucleus (protons plus neutrons)?
The Atomic Mass
If two elements sit inside the exact same vertical column, what important detail do they share?
Similar chemical behaviors / traits / personalities
When you electrify an invisible Noble Gas trapped inside a glass tube, what visual phenomenon occurs?
It glows brightly (like a neon sign)
What dangerous physical property is shared by almost all elements in the Actinides row at the absolute bottom of the table?
They are radioactive
"I am a semi-conductor metal and the complete brain of modern tech. Without me, no smartphone, computer, or gaming console chip can function. Who am I?"
Silicon
True or False: Every single element on the periodic table has its own completely unique atomic number.
True
What physical feature does the horizontal row number tell you about an atom's construction?
How many electron shells/layers it has
Which specific metal family sits in Group 2, is shiny, and is slightly less reactive than the Group 1 explosives?
Alkaline Earth Metals
Why are Group 1 metals and Group 17 gases so incredibly aggressive and dangerous?
They are desperately trying to lose or steal 1 electron to get a full outer shell.
"I am the most aggressive gas in existence. I am a pale yellow color, and I want electrons so badly that I will set fire to glass and bricks. Who am I?"
Fluorine
If an atom has a mass of 12 and an atomic number of 6, how many neutrons are hidden inside its nucleus?
6
What special kingdom of elements acts like a border wall on the zigzag line, sharing properties of both metals and nonmetals?
Metalloids
Elements like Carbon, Nitrogen, and Oxygen belong to which broad group that is absolutely essential for making up living bodies?
Reactive Nonmetals
Which hidden bottom row consists entirely of rare-earth metals that have incredibly difficult names to pronounce, like Praseodymium?
Lanthanides
"I am a dangerous radioactive monster made by scientists in a lab. Yet, a tiny microscopic speck of me is wired into your home's ceiling smoke detector right now to save your life. Who am I?"
Americium