The periodic table is a table invented by Dmitri Mendeleev which is organised like a grid. The modern periodic table is based one the atomic number of elements. The chemical properties of elements are a periodic function of the atomic numbers. Elements are placed in a specific location due to its atomic structure. The periodic table has rows (left to right) and columns(up to down), of which each columns and rows elements have similar characteristics. Rows is called a periods. Elements that are in the same period have the same number of atomic orbitals, for example, each element in the first period has one orbital for its electrons, each element in the second period has two orbitals and so on. On the other hand, each column is called a group and they share the characteristic of having the same amount of electrons in its outermost shell. For example, each element in the first column/group has one electron in its outermost shell (valence electrons). "Elements as Building Blocks."
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The periodic table shows the relative atomic mass and atomic number of each element, this helps people calculate the number of protons, neutrons and electrons (electron configuration). It also helps predict the properties of elements that aren't discovered based on properties of other elements in the same column or row. "Elements as Building Blocks."
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