Periodic Table   - Organization   Lesson 3.2

How is the organization of the periodic table useful for predicting the properties of elements?
Properties of an Element
  • The properties of an element can be predicted from its location in the periodic table.
 
 
 















Period (row)
  • Each horizontal row of the table is called a period.
  • From left to right across a period, the properites of elements change in a predictable pattern.
  • There are seven periods of elements.
 
 
 



Group (column)
  • The elements in a column are called a group, or family.
  • The groups are numbered from Group 1 on the left to Group 8 on the right.
 
 


Family Name
  • The family name of a group is typically the name of the first element in the column.
  • Elements in each group have similar characteristics.