Can You Name That Element?

Westcoasttony on 09/25/2009

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What's up with those chemical symbols? It’s pretty clear that O is the symbol for oxygen or H is the symbol for hydrogen, but many of the symbols don’t seem to make intuitive sense. That is generally because the symbols derive from a word in a language other than English, such as Latin or German. But don't lose hope. You can name that element!

You are invited to identify the elements (which all fall into the broader class of “metals”) associated with the following chemical symbols, based on the information I provide you. Don't worry: you might find this a lot easier-- and more fun-- than you think!

Much of the reference and inspiration for this quiz comes from Isaac Asimov’s essays-- especially “The Symbol-Minded Chemist”-- that taught me that science doesn’t have to be tedious by a long shot! Thanks for taking the quiz and I hope you find it fun and informative.

11 Questions

Rating:	(8.79/9)
Difficulty:	Very Easy
Taken:	223 times

Quiz Leaderboard

Player:		Level:	% Correct:	Time to Complete:
1	Stcsb10	3	100.00%	38.00 seconds
2	Happykamper	2	100.00%	45.90 seconds
3	Therawrbshow	14	100.00%	48.70 seconds
4	Bendean	58	100.00%	50.94 seconds
5	Buglady04	96	100.00%	52.47 seconds
6	Eeike	26	100.00%	55.22 seconds
7	Buffytvs	4	100.00%	55.37 seconds
8	Bigbird	104	100.00%	55.95 seconds
9	Hockeyplayer	6	100.00%	57.13 seconds
10	Didb72	34	100.00%	58.81 seconds