Puzzle Periodic Table

Technology has always been a dear friend to education. While a good teacher will always be required in order to make a lesson or a subject more intriguing and fun, certain applications can help. This is especially true for sciences that are more difficult to grasp on just a theoretical level, and therefore require some demonstrations of the concepts.

Chemistry is a most obvious example, as class experiments are often carried out to demonstrate the properties of the elements. But even as they learn a thing or two about the elements for the first time, pupils and students could use an application such as Puzzle Periodic Table.

I should start by pointing out that Puzzle Periodic Table is nothing mind-blowing. It features the very well-known periodic table of elements, and you can click on each element to learn some extra information about it. The interface is colorful but basic, and there isn’t a lot of interaction going on.

Nevertheless, this doesn’t make the program less useful. For each element, you get at least two paragraphs brim with information. You may learn the history of the element’s history, its use and how rare it is. You also get a table with important data such as atomic weight, melting point, boiling point, and electronegativity, just to name a few. And while it’s obvious that most of the information is lifted directly from Wikipedia, it’s still presented in a more contained way, making it easier to assimilate.

To make things more interesting, three “versions” of the table are presented. In the first version, the elements are grouped into four blocks (known as s, p, d, and f), according to their atomic orbital type. In the second version, the elements are classified as metals, metalloids, and nonmetals. Finally, in the third version, there are 18 groups of elements, such as the lithium group, the iron group, the nitrogen group, and so on.

As you can see, one can learn many new things from Puzzle Periodic Table, even if it isn’t the most versatile or beautifully designed application.