About the Random Element Generator
The first 96 elements of the periodic table are included, each shown with its chemical symbol and atomic number, for example Carbon (C, atomic number 6). Stopping at curium keeps the list to elements that occur naturally or are produced in useful quantities, and leaves out the synthetic superheavies that exist only as a handful of atoms.
Chemistry students use random draws to revise symbols without following the reading order of the table, which is where memorisation usually breaks down. Ask for ten with no repeats and you have a spot test. Hide the symbol column and you have a quiz. Hide the name instead and you have a harder one.
Teachers also use the draw to assign element research projects fairly, and puzzle writers use it to build chemistry themed word games from symbol pairs. Because the atomic number is included, a batch can be sorted numerically as a follow up task to see where each element sits in the table. For a physical sciences round with a different flavour, try the Random Dinosaur Generator, and use the Sort Text Lines tool to alphabetise a saved element list.
How to use
- Set how many elements you want to draw.
- Keep no repeats on so a revision test covers different elements.
- Press Generate, then copy the list or download it as a quiz sheet.
Common questions
- How many elements are in the list?
- The first 96, from hydrogen at atomic number 1 through to curium at 96.
- Why stop at curium?
- Elements beyond it are synthetic and exist only in trace amounts, so they rarely appear in school or undergraduate courses.
- Is the atomic mass included?
- No, only the symbol and atomic number, which keeps each line short enough to use as a flash card.
- Can I make a quiz from this?
- Yes. Generate twenty with no repeats, then hide either the symbol or the name before printing.