Reading the Elements of the Periodic Table

I'm confused, what is this?

The periodic table of elements is what the name sounds like - it is a table showing all of the elements. Usually, you use the periodic table to find out information about an element you want to know about.

Each box is one element, and inside each box there is important information about that element. They show you the element's atomic number, symbol, name, and mass.

Most periodic tables you find will look different from each other, but the information is normally placed in the same area. The image to the right shows one way it could be seen.

Atomic number

The atomic number shows the number of protons that are in every atom of the element.

Element symbol

The element's symbol is a short way of writing the element's name. It is either 1 capital letter or 2 letters, the 1st one capital and the 2nd one lowercase. For example, hydrogen's symbol is "H", and lithium's symbol is "Li".

Element name

This is the full name of the element. It is what you would say out loud if you were talking about the element.

Atomic mass

The atomic mass is the mass of the element, given in atomic mass units (AMU). The atomic mass = number of protons + number of neutrons.