What is the Periodic table?
The Periodic table is a table that list all the known chemical elements. There are over 100 elements listed.
Elements are the basic building blocks of all matter.
Each element is given a chemical symbol consisting of one or two letters which is a shorthand way of representing that element. The chemical symbol for the element oxygen is O and the symbol for iron is Fe.
Arrangement of elements in the Periodic table
The elements are listed in the Periodic table in order of increasing Atomic Number. Metallic elements compose about 2/3 rds of the elements and are found on the left hand side of the Periodic table. Non-metallic elements make up about 1/3 rd of the elements and are found on the upper right hand of the Periodic table.