Elementary

摘要

The periodic table of the elements is a comforting document. Within a few simple lines it manages to tame the seemingly chaotic world of matter into a reliable regularity. Each type of atom has its own pigeonhole, its place in the order of things. And the beauty of the periodic table is that the way it groups atoms allows some prediction of how they should behave. The noble gases such as helium remain aloof and unreactive, while the alkali metals can be expected to be silvery and reactive.