When you have finished this page,
try the Elements Quiz.
An element is made up of one kind
of atom and cannot be broken down into any simpler substance chemically. To
break down an element would take much more sophisticated means. This would break
the element down into subatomic particles.
Elements have both physical and
chemical properties. Physical properties of elements are color, density (how
thick the element is), how much it might conduct electricity and heat as well
as the boiling and melting points.
Elements are often classified by
these properties into groups called families. One set of groupings is whether
the elements are metals, non-metals or metalloids. Other groups include the
inert gases, halogens, and alkali metals.
All the elements are arranged on
the Periodic Table of the Elements, starting with those with the smallest atomic
weights to those with the largest. They are also arranged in columns within
the table with those having similar properties being in the same column.
Each element has its own symbol
consisting of one or two letters.
