Is Memorizing the Periodic Table Necessary?

[moe darklight]

I accidentally memorized it in high school. Well, most of it. I don't remember it anymore though.
EDIT: about periodic table from op.

 

[Gokul43201]

What would be the point in memorizing such useless information? Thats the whole reason why its ordered in a table for you to look up.

If you want to have to do anything related to chemistry, it's extremely helpful to have a good picture of the PT stored in memory. Every time you come across some relationship between properties of two compounds, the likelihood of it setting off a lightbulb in your head is directly proportional to whether or not you've got the PT memorized. If you haven't memorized the PT, you will miss out on figuring out so many of the reasons why things are the way they are. And without the help of this explanatory logic, you have to take up additional memory space just to remember these facts without basis.

I memorize the PT because that way, I have to remember fewer things in chemistry.

 

[radou]

We are supposed to memorize the entire periodic table because we don't get the table during exams in high school.

Unfortunately, this is an example of something which one could call "How to get kids to hate school".

 

[SticksandStones]

I see no use in memorizing the PT, although I did have large sections of it memorized when I was in organic chemistry.

 

[Cyrus]

If you want to have to do anything related to chemistry, it's extremely helpful to have a good picture of the PT stored in memory. Every time you come across some relationship between properties of two compounds, the likelihood of it setting off a lightbulb in your head is directly proportional to whether or not you've got the PT memorized. If you haven't memorized the PT, you will miss out on figuring out so many of the reasons why things are the way they are. And without the help of this explanatory logic, you have to take up additional memory space just to remember these facts without basis.

I memorize the PT because that way, I have to remember fewer things in chemistry.

How does memorizing atomic weights, or atomic number, or atomic symbol help? How does that explain why things are the way they are? I would think spdf orbitals are the only things of real value, and those are already in order by the way the table is ordered. So you can look at the table and find the orbital instantly since you know how its arranged.


Long time no see, where have you been Gokul?

 

[chaoseverlasting]

If you want to have to do anything related to chemistry, it's extremely helpful to have a good picture of the PT stored in memory. Every time you come across some relationship between properties of two compounds, the likelihood of it setting off a lightbulb in your head is directly proportional to whether or not you've got the PT memorized. If you haven't memorized the PT, you will miss out on figuring out so many of the reasons why things are the way they are. And without the help of this explanatory logic, you have to take up additional memory space just to remember these facts without basis.

I memorize the PT because that way, I have to remember fewer things in chemistry.

Yeah. Thats totally true. Conversely, you may be faced with a totally new problem that you've never seen before, if you know the table, and can figure out where different elements are in with respect to each other, you could find a relation between them which could lead to a conclusion you can use.

If you don't know the answer before hand, and don't know the table, and hence can't find the relation, then you can't solve unknown problems. And that's the point of being a good engineer or student or studying science. You should be able to figure anything out based on a few fundamental principles, and if you cannot, either you aren't applying the principles correctly or there is something wrong with them.

 

[mrjeffy321]

How does memorizing atomic weights, or atomic number, or atomic symbol help? How does that explain why things are the way they are? I would think spdf orbitals are the only things of real value, and those are already in order by the way the table is ordered. So you can look at the table and find the orbital instantly since you know how its arranged.

Memorizing atomic numbers and symbols is useful, believe me, as is memorizing a few of the atomic weights of elements.

If one is doing calculations and has constantly refer back to the periodic table for every single bit of information then one is slowed down considerably.
It is much quicker to have the atomic number of Oxygen memorized (8) and know that its molar mass is 16.00 g/mol. There are several elements which are so common that you will naturally memorize their information; you don’t need to do this for all elements however...for example the molar mass of Bohrium (264 g/mol) doesn’t come up that often in my experience.

Also, having a mental picture of the periodic table is also useful so that one can think about the relationships between different elements, again without having to always constantly refer back to the periodic table.
Knowing that Sulfur is directly beneath Oxygen can come in handy...and also having a general picture of the placements of the elements makes finding one (if one should need to look up info) easier than having to methodically search the periodic table.

I barely use the spdf orbitals and do not care to memorize them.
If I should ever need to know that info, it is one of the things I would go the periodic table to look up.

 

[Lisa!]

Well I've not memorized that but I might do it in the future since it's really useful! Not to mention that how good it'd be for your memory.
You know I see people nagging about memoriszing things(especially things like PT) and they usually say that they have a very weak memory. But surprisingly I see these people who just know/memorize every single trivia about celebrities like weight, height, shoe size,...:yuck:

 

[arunbg]

I memorised parts of the PT only becuse they didn't provide enough time in high school during exams, but they did provide us with log tables which i usually had to consult to make sure. Come to think of it, I think I memorised the important parts, naturally and not by wrought study. College is much better, calculators are allowed, and definitely no chemistry.

 

[Cyrus]

Memorizing atomic numbers and symbols is useful, believe me, as is memorizing a few of the atomic weights of elements.

If one is doing calculations and has constantly refer back to the periodic table for every single bit of information then one is slowed down considerably.
It is much quicker to have the atomic number of Oxygen memorized (8) and know that its molar mass is 16.00 g/mol. There are several elements which are so common that you will naturally memorize their information; you don’t need to do this for all elements however...for example the molar mass of Bohrium (264 g/mol) doesn’t come up that often in my experience.

But, isn't that what I was saying?

 

[mrjeffy321]

The impression I got from you is that there is no benefit, at all, from memorizing (even part of) the periodic table.
I am just saying that there defiantly is a value is having portions of the periodic table memorized (Names, Symbols, Numbers, Masses).

 

[Cyrus]

I HATE having to memorize ANYTHING. If its important to remember, you will remember it from using it from experience. (Which is exactly what you are describing). What the OP is describing, is memorizing the PT to take an exam, and that is worthless information (even though its the same information, because it has no purpose other than to take an exam).

That's why there is the saying "Either you use it or you lose it."

 

[chaoseverlasting]

I HATE having to memorize ANYTHING. If its important to remember, you will remember it from using it from experience. (Which is exactly what you are describing). What the OP is describing, is memorizing the PT to take an exam, and that is worthless information (even though its the same information, because it has no purpose other than to take an exam).

That's why there is the saying "Either you use it or you lose it."

Sometimes you have no choice. We aren't allowed charts with the table on them during exams. And with the number of questions you have to do during exams, its a lot easier to just memorize chunks of the table than to refer to it every minute. For the entrance exams I gave this year, for most exams, you have anything between 40 seconds to 1 minute. You have three hours for 240 or 180 questions divided equally among physics, chemistry and maths. Its just not possible to look charts up with that kind of time limit.