How to Study the Elements of the Periodic Table
Use visualization techniques to remember elements., Make up acronyms or acrostics to remember chunks of the periodic table., Employ brute force repetition.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Use visualization techniques to remember elements.
Your brain is designed to remember visuals more effectively than written or spoken words.
Use this to your advantage by creating mental visualizations to go with each element.
Then, you can create a storyline that likes each picture together in the order that you need to remember them.
This is the most effective memorization technique.For example, you might drop your bottle of hydrogen peroxide (hydrogen), causing you to yell in a squeaky voice (helium makes your voice squeaky), right as it lands on a pack of batteries (lithium ion batteries to be exact). -
Step 2: Make up acronyms or acrostics to remember chunks of the periodic table.
This is less effective than visual imagery, but can work better than brute force repetition.
While acrostics are much easier to create for the elements, acronyms can be done, too.
This will provide a que for several elements in one word or phrase.An acrostic for nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine and neon might be something like No Openings For Ned.
The first one or two letters of each word represent an element (N, O, F, Ne).
An acronym for the same four elements would be No fee (pronounced noff-nee).
A similar approach to acronyms and acrostics is to make a song that includes the names of the elements.
This can be a little more effective, but is also more time consuming. , This method is least effective overall, and requires an intense amount of study time.
It is best if the study time is broken up into smaller sessions.
You will need to memorize small chunks of the table at one time and constantly review them while moving on to other chunks.If you choose this way, notecards are your best friend.
For example, you could make a set of notecards for every element on the periodic table.
Likewise, you could make a set of notecards that lists every family or group (column) and include the elements within each group on the card.
To get the most out of the table, you could make several sets of notecards, such as the two mentioned, that organize the information in different ways. -
Step 3: Employ brute force repetition.
Detailed Guide
Your brain is designed to remember visuals more effectively than written or spoken words.
Use this to your advantage by creating mental visualizations to go with each element.
Then, you can create a storyline that likes each picture together in the order that you need to remember them.
This is the most effective memorization technique.For example, you might drop your bottle of hydrogen peroxide (hydrogen), causing you to yell in a squeaky voice (helium makes your voice squeaky), right as it lands on a pack of batteries (lithium ion batteries to be exact).
This is less effective than visual imagery, but can work better than brute force repetition.
While acrostics are much easier to create for the elements, acronyms can be done, too.
This will provide a que for several elements in one word or phrase.An acrostic for nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine and neon might be something like No Openings For Ned.
The first one or two letters of each word represent an element (N, O, F, Ne).
An acronym for the same four elements would be No fee (pronounced noff-nee).
A similar approach to acronyms and acrostics is to make a song that includes the names of the elements.
This can be a little more effective, but is also more time consuming. , This method is least effective overall, and requires an intense amount of study time.
It is best if the study time is broken up into smaller sessions.
You will need to memorize small chunks of the table at one time and constantly review them while moving on to other chunks.If you choose this way, notecards are your best friend.
For example, you could make a set of notecards for every element on the periodic table.
Likewise, you could make a set of notecards that lists every family or group (column) and include the elements within each group on the card.
To get the most out of the table, you could make several sets of notecards, such as the two mentioned, that organize the information in different ways.
About the Author
Alexis Rivera
With a background in lifestyle and practical guides, Alexis Rivera brings 1 years of hands-on experience to every article. Alexis believes in making complex topics accessible to everyone.
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