Identifying Families of the Periodic Table
The Periodic table is designed to help you predict what an element's physical and chemical properties are. You can also predict what elements will bond with each other.
Groups or Families
The vertical columns of the periodic table (there are 18) are called groups or families. Elements in the same group or family have similar but not identical characteristics. You will learn more about the 18 groups in a later section. You can know properties of a certain element by knowing which group it belongs to.
Periods
The horizontal rows of the periodic table are called periods. Elements in a period are not alike in properties. As a rule, the first element in a period is usually an active solid, and the last element in a period is always an inactive gas. Atomic size decreases from left to right across a period, but atomic mass increases from left to right across a period. Atoms on the left of the period, therefore, are usually larger and more lightweight than the smaller, heavier atoms on the right of the period.
<<<For Information on the families of the periodic table click the family below>>>
Related Links
Understanding how to make Bohr Models
Understanding the Periodic Table and it's families