Why is an element called an element?

Answer 1

symbols

Answer 2

Water is not an element; it is a compound - H2O, hydrogen oxide.

Water was considered as an element in the philosophy of Empedocles, 2 500 years ago.

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It is one of the "classical elements."

Many ancient civilizations considered the elements to be air, water, fire and earth. (If you've seen The Fifth Element you remember that these were the elements the stones represented.)

Chinese philosophy held the elements to be wood, water, metal, earth and fire.

In this interpretation, the "elements" are building blocks of the world rather than something like sulfur or helium.

Answer 3

An element is called an element because it is a fundamental substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical means. Elements are the basic building blocks of matter and are represented by unique chemical symbols on the Periodic Table.

Answer 4

An element is are common features of a subject. (e.g. the elements of music could be texture, tone etc.) These are the elements of chemistry.

Answer 5

because they are made of only one type of atom.