What If You Built Your Own Periodic Table?

Summary

In this video, the host ambitiously attempts to collect all 118 elements of the periodic table using everyday items and a budget of $500. Despite challenges with rare and radioactive elements, they creatively source elements from groceries to office supplies, achieving 68 out of 118. The video humorously explores the history and significance of the periodic table, ending with the host's relief at not having to eat an egg and cheese sandwich, a self-imposed punishment for failure.

Takeaways

• 🧪 The video is about attempting to create a physical representation of the periodic table using real elements.
• 🌐 The periodic table is not just a chart but a scientific tool that helps understand elements' properties and behaviors.
• 🤔 The presenter is curious if it's possible to touch and feel each element, aiming to collect as many as possible.
• 💸 A budget of $500 is set for the collection of elements, with a challenge to eat an egg and cheese sandwich if under 80 elements are collected or if the budget is exceeded.
• 🔬 Consulting a chemistry expert reveals that creating a personal periodic table is nearly impossible without specialized equipment.
• 🛒 The collection process involves buying, borrowing, and finding elements in everyday items like food, batteries, and office supplies.
• 📈 As the collection progresses, elements become rarer, more expensive, and some are radioactive or used only for research.
• 🏛️ The periodic table's design has evolved over time, with the current version credited to Dmitri Mendeleev who predicted the existence and properties of yet-undiscovered elements.
• 🌟 Some elements are so rare and unstable that they barely exist, existing only as a few atoms for a fraction of a second.
• 🍔 Despite the challenge, 68 out of 118 elements are collected, and the budget is not exceeded, thus avoiding the egg and cheese sandwich.

Q & A

What is the main challenge the speaker is trying to tackle in the script?

The speaker is attempting to create a physical representation of the periodic table of elements using real samples of each element, which is considered a challenging task due to the rarity and properties of some elements.

What is the motivation behind the speaker's project?

The motivation is to make the periodic table more interactive and tangible rather than just a memorization chart, and to see if it's possible to collect samples of all elements despite the skepticism from others.

What is the budget constraint set for this project?

The speaker has a budget of 500 dollars to collect as many elements as possible without going over.

What is the penalty if the speaker fails to collect at least 80 elements or goes over budget?

The penalty is that the speaker has to eat an egg and cheese sandwich, which they dislike.

How does the speaker plan to collect the elements for the periodic table?

The speaker plans to collect elements by finding them in everyday items, purchasing them, or borrowing from friends, starting with the easier and cheaper elements.

What role does the periodic table play in science?

The periodic table is a map for scientists to understand what elements do, their properties, and how they interact with each other.

Who is credited with the invention of the modern periodic table?

Dmitri Mendeleev is credited with inventing the modern periodic table in 1869.

What was Mendeleev's significant contribution to the periodic table?

Mendeleev's significant contribution was arranging the elements periodically and predicting the existence and properties of elements that were yet to be discovered.

What are some of the challenges the speaker encounters when collecting elements?

The speaker encounters challenges such as the increasing rarity and cost of elements, as well as the difficulty in finding and obtaining radioactive materials and elements used only for research.

How many elements was the speaker able to collect in the end?

The speaker was able to collect 68 out of the 118 elements on the periodic table.

What is the final outcome of the speaker's attempt to eat an egg and cheese sandwich?

The speaker does not have to eat the egg and cheese sandwich because they managed to collect 68 elements and stayed under budget.