Periodic Table

Periodic Table is an app featuring a database of the periodic table for chemistry students to study. It's designed to help students learn the name, symbol, and atomic weight of each element. No one claims that memorizing the elements is their favorite part of chemistry. But, as part of the lexicon, it's critical info for a basic course, and students need to memorize it like the vocabulary of a second language.

The app is divided into five basic sections: Learn, Table, Lookup, Quiz, and Videos. The Learn section consists of a page for each element, linked to its position on the periodic table. The Quiz tests students on their recall of the information, but it doesn't save scores or provide feedback. The app also includes videos that provide a spoken presentation of basic and useful definitions, from acid to valence. Each element of the periodic table, neatly laid out in the Table section, is linked to a page of data in the Learn section. Each page is filled with the basic data about the element, an option to hear the name pronounced (which can be useful with elements such as dysprosium), and a Wikipedia link. The Lookup section is an internal search engine, also leading to the Learn pages.

Periodic Table is neither a self-study course nor a supplement for a complete course in chemistry, but what it does, it does well: assisting students in getting a good start and serving as a useful point of reference. During the video sections, the presenter manages to set a tone that is sassy, light, and informative –- a combination that’s likely to encourage students to listen up and explore. It's too bad that these definitions aren't connected to any of the other content. The Quiz section is also limited; it allows for options to pose questions on the names of the elements, the abbreviations, the atomic number, or a random mixture of these categories, but since the app doesn't save scores or narrow the focus to adjust once the user has answered correctly, it can be frustrating.