ANSWERS to Lesson
1.2.5 Activity Questions
1. Make a list of as many patterns as you can
find from the card sort poster that occur
horizontally.
•
•
•
•
•
elements get smaller
# of spokes goes up by 1
atomic mass goes up
reactivity goes down then up
start as solids—end as gases.
2. Make a list of as many trends as you can
find from the card sort poster that occur
vertically.
•
•
•
•
elements get larger
# of spokes =
atomic mass goes up
Left side: reactivity goes up as
you go down
• Right side: reactivity goes down
as you go down
3. Which trend or pattern does each of the
following diagrams describe?
Size (as you
# of spokes
go down,
atoms get
larger)
(as you go
across, # of
spokes
increases)
Reactivity
4. Where are the metals located on the
periodic table? The nonmetals?
Metals: Left of the zig-zag
Non-metals: Right of the zig-zag
5. Is copper, Cu, a metal or a nonmetal?
Explain your thinking.
A metal—it’s on the left side of the zigzag.
6. The elements inserted into the card sort
from Mendeleev’s table are called transition
elements. Do you expect these elements to
be solids, liquids or gases? Explain.
Solids—they are sandwiched between
other solids.
7. Where are most of the gases located on
the periodic table?
On the far right side.
8. Is thallium, Tl, a solid, liquid, or gas?
Solid.
9. In what areas of the periodic table do you
find the most highly reactive elements?
Lower left, upper right (besides the last
column)
10. How would you expect cesium, Cs, to
react with water? Explain your reasoning.
Explode on contact with water—the
other elements in its group are also
highly reactive with water.
11. Find the element with the atomic weight
137.3. If there were a card for this element,
what would it probably say in the lower left
corner?
Reacts violently with water.
12. Place the following in order of most
reactive to least reactive.
rubidium, Rb
neon, Ne
calcium, Ca
silicon, Si
Rb, Ca, Si, Ne
13. Elements combine to form compounds.
For each of the compounds listed below,
specify whether two metals, a metal and
a nonmetal, or two nonmetals were
combined.
a) NaCl, sodium chloride (table salt)
Metal & Non-metal
b) HC2H3O2, acetic acid (vinegar
Non-metals
c) CuSn, copper tin alloy (bronze)
Metals