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They are easier to write and take less space. It is also a lot less confusing to read something like C3H7NO2 than "three carbons, seven hydrogens, a nitrogen and two oxygens", or to see a structure as CH3CH(COCl)CH2COOH rather than write out "three hydrogens bonded to a carbon, which is bonded to a further carbon along with one hydrogen atom and two further carbons; one of which has one oxygen and one chlorine bonded to it, the other having two hydrogens and a fifth carbon, the last having two oxygens bonded to it, and one of these also bonding to a hydrogen".
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Why do scientists use symbols to represent atoms?
Symbols are universally understood across many languages. Also, using symbols rather than full names helps scientists to avoid the repetition of writing the long names of elements and atoms again and again.
What is importance of chemical symbols?
Scientists use them to tell the different elements apart. There are over 100 elements so it would be confusing to tell them apart without the names. Scientists can communicate about the elements wherever they are across the globe. Chemists would not be able to make chemicals and medicines easily if there were no chemical symbols. Hope this helps.
Why are thieir symbols different from their names?
Symbols come from latin names of the elements. Example: Tungsten(W), W stands for wolfram.
What do chemists use to represent elements and compounds?
Scientists use symbols to represent elements and compounds. The symbols of a chemical element are abbreviations that are used to denote a chemical element. Typically, they are one or two-letters long with the first letter (only) capitalised; temporary names are three-letters long. !
What element are one or two letter abbeviations for the names of the elements?
All elements that don't currently have IUPAC systematic placeholder names have one or two letter chemical symbols. So, currently, elements 1 (Hydrogen) to 112 (Copernicium) have one or two letter symbols.
Why do scientists use symbols to represent atoms?
Symbols are universally understood across many languages. Also, using symbols rather than full names helps scientists to avoid the repetition of writing the long names of elements and atoms again and again.
What is importance of chemical symbols?
Scientists use them to tell the different elements apart. There are over 100 elements so it would be confusing to tell them apart without the names. Scientists can communicate about the elements wherever they are across the globe. Chemists would not be able to make chemicals and medicines easily if there were no chemical symbols. Hope this helps.
Why internationally recognised symbols are used for common elements?
The symbols used for the elements are the same worldwide. This enables scientists to communicate their ideas with other scientists throughout the world even if they can't speak the same language. :)
Why do some element have unusual letter for their symbols?
some elements do not use their first letters of their English names as their symbols. The symbols for these elements may come from the names of the elements in a different language.
Do all symbols of elements have greek names?
No. Most of the symbols for elements are derived from their names in English. Most of the elements were not even known in ancient Greece.
Why do the elements have symbols?
The symbols are universal and the names are different in each language
Why would a scientist use berzelius's systern of representing elements?
The reason is because it is a system that uses letters called chemical symbols, which are a shortned way of writing the names of elements.
Why were symbols used in the periodic table?
Symbols are used to shorten the names of the elements.
Why do scientists use chemical symbols rather than words to represent a compound or element?
The symbols (formulas) show the elements or ions in a compound. Sometimes it is easier to see the relationships between the elements with an empirical formula. But with larger molecules with atoms in complex arrangements, the written names are sometimes more appropriate. (e.g. sodium benzoate NaC7H5O2 which is formed from an ion of benzene C6H6)
Why are thieir symbols different from their names?
Symbols come from latin names of the elements. Example: Tungsten(W), W stands for wolfram.
Is it true that all symbols for elements have greek names?
is false
What do chemists use to represent elements and compounds?
Scientists use symbols to represent elements and compounds. The symbols of a chemical element are abbreviations that are used to denote a chemical element. Typically, they are one or two-letters long with the first letter (only) capitalised; temporary names are three-letters long. !
