It's Elemental. The Periodic Table quiz - Comments

Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
Sign up Log in
46 replies · 8K views
Greg Bernhardt
Admin
Insights Author
Messages
19,944
Reaction score
11,035
Greg Bernhardt submitted a new PF Insights post

It's Elemental! The Periodic Table Quiz

periodicquiz-80x80.png


Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.
 
Chemistry news on Phys.org
Congratulations – you have completed Periodic Table Quiz.

You scored 10 points out of 11 points total.

Your performance has been rated as Excellent.

That's strange because there are 12 total questions. I missed #4 (what did Mendeleev base the periodic table on) and #9 (rarest element). I correctly guessed on #8 (date of the periodic table).

I'm not sure #9 is correct given that you give ununoctium as a potential answer. Whereas there are maybe only a few ounces of francium, there have probably been only a handful of atoms of Uuo ever made (though Fr might be the better answer given that there probably isn't any Uuo on Earth at the moment, and according to the IUPAC, Uuo has not been discovered yet).
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Greg Bernhardt
Ygggdrasil said:
I'm not sure #9 is correct given that you give ununoctium as a potential answer. Whereas there are maybe only a few ounces of francium, there have probably been only a handful of atoms of Uuo ever made (though Fr might be the better answer given that there probably isn't any Uuo on Earth at the moment, and according to the IUPAC, Uuo has not been discovered yet).
Good call, I'll correct it
 
PAllen said:
I got 9, and since I haven't looked at or thought about a periodic table in at least 10 years, I am quite happy.
I missed year of periodic table, first element synthesized, and which letter wasn't in the periodic table.
 
And what is the correct answer to 10 (the only letter not in the periodic table)? I can't think of an element with J nor Q within the symbol.
 
Borek said:
And what is the correct answer to 10 (the only letter not in the periodic table)? I can't think of an element with J nor Q within the symbol.
I thought it should be J, since that letter is not used in Latin. But then I chose Q.
 
I am not so sure about whether Np or Fr is more rare in nature. Np is produced by neutron capture by Uranium. The neutrons stem from spontaneous fission of Uranium. With this hindsight, also the answer "90" in question 1 is more convention than fact.
 
Borek said:
And what is the correct answer to 10 (the only letter not in the periodic table)? I can't think of an element with J nor Q within the symbol.
This is just a guess, but perhaps that question was inspired by temporary element names like Ununquadium, and so the answer must be J.
However that name has been replaced by Flerovium (http://www.iupac.org/news/news-detail/article/element-114-is-named-flerovium-and-element-116-is-named-livermorium.html ), after the Russian laboratory (whose name in turn was inspired by the physicist Georgy Flyorov) that discovered it in 1998.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
DrDu said:
I am not so sure about whether Np or Fr is more rare in nature. Np is produced by neutron capture by Uranium. The neutrons stem from spontaneous fission of Uranium. With this hindsight, also the answer "90" in question 1 is more convention than fact.
I suppose we would also have to consider the Neptunium released into the environment due to nuclear explosions. (see this)
 
There is also a question of what is meant by 'nature' (per the question of how many elements exist in nature).

1) Smartass observatIon: People are part of nature.

2) Wouldn't a supernova temporarily produce elements even beyond what people have created (possibly reaching a theorized island of [relative] stability)? At any given moment (spatial hypersurface) in the universe, I would presume far more than 90 elements exist (without recourse to assumptions about intelligent aliens).
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Greg Bernhardt
I know it's not in the answer choice list, but Astatine is the rarest naturally occurring element. Just an FYI.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: HAYAO and Greg Bernhardt
6. With two lucky guesses.

I picked "J", because I knew it was the youngest of the letters in the alphabet, or so I've read.
 
A 10/12 .
4 correct no guess.
4 educated half guesses turned out correct
2 complete guess turned out correct.
More luck than brains, as they say.
 
9/12. Had to guess at three and got all of them wrong: the Solitaire question, the number of actinides and the year for the periodic table.
 
8/12
Apparently people didn't read the did you know? The date for the first periodic table by mendleev is given before you take the quiz =P
Trick Questions OP
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Greg Bernhardt
Congratulations – you have completed Periodic Table Quiz.

You scored 8 points out of 12 points total.

Your performance has been rated as Competent.
I guess on a lot of the questions
 
Why is Lawrencium an Actinide? Shouldn't numerology place it as a transition metal?
 
9/12. Two were educated guesses. I'm ashamed to say I didn't get the year Mendeleev proposed the table even though it's written at the top, as a previous poster noted. The other two I got wrong were the first artificial element and the rarest element
 
Got 9. The three I got wrong were the historical ones. Why clutter your head with ephemera?
 
7/12. I made mistakes in the historical ones. I didn't know a solitaire helped to organise the periodic table...
 
BiGyElLoWhAt said:
Apparently people didn't read the did you know? The date for the first periodic table by mendleev is given before you take the quiz =P
D'oh!

I may not read 'Did You Know's, but I do read all the comments in a thread.

I was making a mental note to complain specifically about #8 - I thought it was too hard - either you know it or you don't. Did not realize it was the easiest of all! :oops:

Well played. Well played.8/12. I actually missed one question (#9) without realizing it. Guessed at several.
 
As far as I am concern Helium is in p block .
 
You scored 5 points out of 12 points total.

Your performance has been rated as Just Passed. hehe
 
I scored 11 out of 12. I answered number 11 a little too quickly - should have thought it out (silver is Ag). I only scored high because science is bit of a fetish with me, plus some time ago I downloaded Freshny's Periodic Table, an app that can be studied off-line http://download.cnet.com/Periodic-Table-freshney-org/3000-2054_4-10803643.html I highly recommend it to any Chemistry student or aficionado.
 
8/12 and I tutor chemistry at college level...hmmmm
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: HAYAO

Similar threads

Insights Inventions and Inventors Quiz - Comments
  • Greg Bernhardt
  • · Replies 26 ·
  • General Discussion
Replies
26
Insights Match the Scientist with the Story Quiz - Comments
  • fresh_42
  • · Replies 15 ·
  • General Discussion
Replies
15