Question

A chemical symbol represents what of an element?

Answer 1

An element's symbol is merely a shorthand representation of the element.

It would be painstaking to have to write out the name of the element every time you wanted to mention it, so the symbols are a great way to shortly represent the element!

`11` elements have symbols derived from Latin:

• Sodium - `"Na"` ("natrium")

• Potassium - `"K"` ("kalium")

• Iron - `"Fe"` ("ferrum")

• Copper - `"Cu"` ("cuprum")

• Silver - `"Ag"` ("argentum")

• Tin - `"Sn"` ("stannum")

• Antimony - `"Sb"` ("stibium")

• Tungsten - `"W"` ("wolfram")

• Gold - `"Au"` ("aurum")

• Mercury - `"Hg"` ("hydrargyrum")

• Lead - `"Pb"` ("plumbum")

Answer 2

If no numbers are present, it represents a single atom of an element.

Explanation:

A chemical symbol represents a single atom of an element:

• `H` a single hydrogen atom

• `C` a single carbon atom.

If there are numbers on the left side, then the number of atoms increase, but they are separate atoms:

• `3H` 3 atoms of hydrogen

• `10K` ten atoms of potassium

If the number appears on the right side with a subscript, then the whole symbol represents a single molecule with as many atoms as the number says:

• `H_2` a two atom particle of hydrogen

• `O_3` a three atom particle of oxygene (also known as ozone)

If the symbol is in the form of `aX_b` then it represents `a` particles each formed of `b` atoms:

• `4O_2` four two atom particles of oxgen

• `6N_2` six two atom particles of nitrogen