Kathy's Inquiry group

The periodic table is a system for arranging the chemical elements. The chemical elements are the basic substances that make up all matter. Each chemical element has a particular feature called its atomic number. That number comes from the amount of tiny particles called protons in each atom of the element.

The periodic table arranges the elements in rows and columns. 

The elements are placed in order of their atomic number in the rows. The columns form groups of elements that have similar chemical properties. For example, certain gases are in one column and metals are in another. The periodic table helps chemists think about the elements and their properties.