Chemistry! How's yours? Do you still recall your periodic table? Let's see! What about the odd ones your teacher said "You just hafta memorize"?

Question

With rare earths in the news due to Chinas embargo to the USA, let's all review?

Those were EASY! Do you recall the correct one or two letter atomic symbols for these SPECIAL elements?

1) Sodium

2) Potassium

3) Iron

4) Copper

5) Silver

6) Tin

7) Antimony

8) Tungsten

9) Gold

10) Mercury

11) Lead

So do you remember ALL of them? NO CHEATING!! ❌

Tarifa · Accepted Answer

I would only remember about a third in normal circumstances. A bit more now that it's a subject my daughter has at school.

That being said, I don't see the point in memorizing things if you can always look it up. Unless you actually need it on a daily basis in a professional setting. I think education in general should teach you how to think for yourself and work towards a goal, rather than memorizing stuff and repeating it like a parrot would do. The first approach makes you smarter, the second one only gives you good grades at one particular subject in a temporary setting.

andreasderjuengere · Accepted Answer

I remember 2/3 of the shorts. Anyhow, we back then dealt with more complex things that rural areas perhaps would consider to be black magic.

Myself, I enjoyed organic molecules and their reactions a lot more than the mere repetition of what I could look up myself.

Advisor Smith · Accepted Answer

Certainly! Some atomic symbols may initially seem odd because they derive from Latin names:

1) Sodium - Na
2) Potassium - K
3) Iron - Fe
4) Copper - Cu
5) Silver - Ag
6) Tin - Sn
7) Antimony - Sb
8) Tungsten - W
9) Gold - Au
10) Mercury - Hg
11) Lead - Pb

Memorizing these can be tricky, but with practice, they become second nature!

DryGermanGuy · Answer

I was a major in chemistry and the periodic table cutout was allowed in every test.

abc3643 · Answer

Let's see. All of this is from memory...

Sodium = Na (Natrium was Latin name, I believe)
Potassium = K (Kalium)
Iron = Fe (Ferrum?)
Copper = Cu (Cuprium)
Silver = Ag (Argentum)
Tin = Sn (?)
Antimony = Sb
Tungsten = W (Wolfram?)
Gold = Au (Aurum?)
Mercury = Hg (?)
Lead = Pb (Plumbum; it's where the word plumbing comes from)

msmissydc · Answer

We never had to learn them by heart.
We always had a periodic table at hand even in tests.
The few things we were encorraged to learn where, That H is 1, O is 8 and C is 6, because these are much more used than anything else when it comes to everyday chemistry.

purplepoppy · Answer

I didn't know antimony. Things like gold, lead, silver aren't too difficult here because we call them AUr PlwB and arian which is our version of the french ArGent.

I remember a lot of the symbols but not the atomic weights

Maybe_Maybe_not · Answer

I skipped a lot of chemistry classes at HS, as soon as I discovered that not bringing my lab coat/smock would get me banned temporarily. Couldn't stand this teacher 😬

exitseven · Answer

Sodium- NA, Potassium -K, Iron-FE , Copper CU. Silver-AG, Tin-?, Antimony-?, Tungsten- WF, -Gold-AU, Mercury- HG, -Lead- PB

RavVid · Answer

Remembered all excepting Antimony and Tungsten right out of the gate.

Dongie · Answer

I don't know those but 1 is helium 2 is hydrogen 6 is carbon that's it for me except 237 plutonium or uranium. 🤓

NathanDavis · Answer

I still see it most days... lol

Chemistry! How's yours? Do you still recall your periodic table? Let's see! What about the odd ones your teacher said "You just hafta memorize"?

Most Helpful Opinions

Most Helpful Opinions

AI Opinion

What Girls & Guys Said