Why do you use symbols on the periodic table?

Answer 1

Many do use the letters of the English element name. However, the earlier symbols for elements often used the Latin names, such as:

Gold - Au for aurum

Silver - Ag for argentum

Mercury - Hg for hydrargyrum

Copper - Cu for cuprum

Lead - Pb for plumbum

Some cannot use the first two letters of their English names because these are already in use for another element. Californium is Cf because Calcium is Ca.

Answer 2

The symbols for the elements of the Periodic Table are often very similar to their names. In cases where they are different from their names, it is usually because of their name in Latin or German.

Answer 3

This is because the numbers in the stubstance are not always correct so having a image is much easier to understand and read and it makes it faster to learn

Answer 4

You use abreviations because a lot of the chemicals, metals etc. have names that are too long to put in one of those little boxes

Answer 5

They were initially represented by circles (to represent the atoms) with different additional symbols; but it turned out that was more difficult for printing.

Answer 6

most of the symbols are taken from the Latin root, that's why they don't match up with the English word. for example, gold is Au because in Latin gold is Aurum.

Answer 7

The names might be too long to be written on the periodic table, so symbols are preferred.

Answer 8

because symbols are a lot easier to remember.