Did you know that the structure of the periodic table was developed in 1869 by Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev?
It isn’t just some random order, but an arrangement that displays the elements with respect to the increasing order of their atomic weights. However, what makes his arrangement so brilliant is the fact that he left spaces for the elements that were yet to be discovered! When placing the elements in groups, he would rearrange them if he discovered that they did not fit!
Mendeleev predicted the characteristics of yet-to-be-discovered elements, giving them names like "eka-aluminum" for one with qualities resembling those of aluminum. Eka-aluminum was later identified as gallium. Isn't it ingenious?
After this brief historical detour, let's come to the more pressing challenge that you have at hand: memorizing the periodic table. Phew! It sounds impossible. But for all the budding chemists, you need to learn this by heart! Though it seems like a huge task, we are here for your rescue!
Here are six tricks that can help you memorize the periodic table easily:
Employ mnemonic strategy
The mnemonic strategy is used to boost students' memory or to easily recall any information. There are a few mnemonics that can help children remember the elements of the periodic table.
For example, a mnemonic for the first row can be "Hi, Hello!" This mnemonic can be used to remember the first two elements of the periodic table in the following way:
- Hi- H (hydrogen)
- Hello- He (helium)
For the second row, you can use - "Lion Bellow Bentley Car Need Oxygen For New Life"
- Lion- Li (lithium)
- Bellow- Be (beryllium)
- Bentley- B (boron)
- Car - C (carbon)
- Need - N (nitrogen)
- Oxygen - O(oxygen)
- For - F (fluorine)
- New Life - Ne (neon)
Use the acronyms
Kids find it easy to remember information when it is associated with acronyms or shorter words. So, you can encourage them to develop an acronym to remember the periodic table. For example:
- The acronym "HHeLiBeBCNOF" can be pronounced "hheliebeb kenoff." This word helps students learn the first nine chemical elements.
- To remember Al, Si, P, S, Cl, Ar, you can develop a sentence like "Ali SiPS CleAr water".
Use flash cards
Flashcards are a confidence-based repetition technique (where their memory is tested repeatedly), which allows the student to look at one side and recall the information present on the other side. Practising such active recall can help children memorize quickly and effectively. To use this technique, you can write down the element name on one side and its symbol, atomic number, and mass on the other side. This technique will help children identify the areas that need more effort.
Chunking Technique: Learn 10 elements for a day
Learning bite-size information per day is easier to remember than trying to grasp the entire concept at once. Rather than trying to learn the whole periodic table in one day, you can break down the table into a set of 10 elements and assign yourself a set of 10 elements per day. You can keep increasing the count according to their ability. Encourage them to recall the old elements while learning new ones. Keep repeating the process until you master the whole periodic table.
"Be creative” Match each element with a picture
“A picture is worth a thousand words." Indeed, images are an effective way to enhance memory. They can be a strong triggering tool to recall even tough concepts. Associating an image to each element can help students recall its symbol and other information quickly. For example, you can use an image of a balloon for helium and an image of an oxygen cylinder for oxygen.
Be innovative: Create your own tunes or rhymes
Music chunks lyrics together by linking words and phrases in a tune. It triggers an instant reaction to sing along, and thus, one can eventually memorize the lyrics. So, you can encourage students to compose their own tune using the elements' names. They can even correlate those names to the students' famous songs to learn the periodic table! This can be fun for children!
The Periodic Table is more than just a reference or list of all the known atoms in the universe; it serves as a window to the galaxy and aids in deepening our comprehension of the world around us. It can indeed be intimidating for a student at first to take a step toward memorizing the table. But once they have mastered it, they will gain a whole new perspective on the subject! So, use these fun and engaging tricks to make them enjoy the learning process and ace the periodic table.
For other tips and tricks to master the discipline of chemistry, check out the top chemistry tutors on TheTutor.Me!
