From Ac to Zr: Can You Answer These Periodic Table Quiz Facts?

Does your curiosity make you wonder how things work? Satisfy your hunger for knowledge and sharpen your science skills with this complete periodic table quiz! 

If you love sports cars, it’s not enough to see a high-performance automobile in action. You want to pop the hood to check out the incredible systems at work underneath. When it comes to our universe, getting a good look means understanding the periodic table of elements. From massive stars to living things, everything around you is the culmination of these minuscule building blocks called elements. These elements appear in order on the periodic table. 

In their most basic form, elements are atoms. Most have different numbers of protons and neutrons in their nucleus, with countless electrons whizzing around in various orbits. The quantity of these tiny nuclear components and the way electrons orbit determine many of the physical and chemical characteristics of each element. 

For example, the atomic structure of neon makes it an inert gas that glows when electricity passes through it, while calcium becomes a metal with properties that helps you build strong bones. Iron, gold, oxygen and plutonium all have special qualities that literally change the world. The periodic table of elements groups them according to their atomic structure. 

The cool thing is that elements can combine. In fact, you benefit from these chemical compounds every day. The carbon dioxide you exhale from your lungs is a mixture of the elements carbon and oxygen. The water you drink in the morning is the combination of two atoms of hydrogen with one atom of oxygen. 

The table of elements is more than just a way to keep track of the 118 elements you know and love. By putting elements with a similar atomic structure in groups, scientists notice patterns. These patterns are so specific that scientists predicted several items on the element table before they were even discovered!