Periodic table quiz
Checked on 3 November 2026
Question 1 of 10
Discover
Which of the metals is the lightest?
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The answer is Lithium.
Lithium is the least dense of all metals; it is light enough to float on water.
Discover
What metal is also known as quicksilver?
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The answer is Mercury.
Mercury, the only metal that is liquid at room temperature, is commonly known as quicksilver.
Discover
Copper and tin together produce which alloy?
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Discover
Swimming pools often contain which element?
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The answer is Chlorine.
Chlorine and chlorine compounds are added to swimming pools to kill germs and keep the water clean.
Practise
Helium, neon, argon and krypton are part of which periodic table group?
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The answer is Inert gases.
Helium, neon, argon and krypton are noble gases, historically called inert gases, in group 18.
Practise
Which element is named after Poland?
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Practise
The columns of the periodic table are known by what name?
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The answer is Groups.
Columns of the periodic table are called groups; rows are called periods.
Practise
The atomic number 17 belongs to which element?
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The answer is Chlorine.
Chlorine has atomic number 17; it is a halogen between fluorine and bromine.
Expert
Cobalt is named after the German word for what?
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The answer is Goblin.
Cobalt takes its name from the German kobold, a goblin that miners blamed for troublesome ore.
Expert
Which city gives the name to Hafnium?
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The answer is Copenhagen.
Hafnium is named after Hafnia, the Latin name for Copenhagen, where it was discovered in 1922.