I was just wondering if there was a little ditty to learning the atomic table. I don’t need to learn it for any specific reason. I just like songs that help people learn things. You know cognitive mapping stuff. 
For instance, here is one for learning the physiology of the inner ear and the biochemistry of synapses.
The Elements by Tom Lehrer.
Here is a little animation that you might like:
Tom Lehrer wrote one back in 1959. I don’t know that it would really help as a mnemonic, though, as there are so many similar-sounding names. There’s a Flash version, too.
On which note, do people really find songs useful to remember these things? I never have done, for some reason. Singing (or learning by rote) times tables? Nope, I just work 'em out in my head as I go along, or recall them from memory. Takes a second or two at most.
Which months have 30 days? I’ve never understood how this song was meant to be an aide-memoire when many of the months rhyme - duh! - so it would scan equally well with the months in the wrong place!.
See:
30 days hath November, April, May and December…
Scans just as well, but is utterly wrong.
Even now, the only way I can get the song right is to count along my knuckles (on a knuckle = 31 days, between knuckles = 30 (or 28/29)) and then substitute the right months.
On preview: my mini rant means others have beaten me to it. Hmmph.
Tom Lehrer’s song is cute, but utterly worthless as a mnemonic device for learing the elements and their order on the periodic table. I did find an interesting menomic device here (Warning: PDF). Not exactly a song, though.
“Fifty nifty United States, from the thirteen original colonies . . .” This song, which I learned in the fifth grade, has a catchy chorus: “Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut . . .”
Comes in handy when I need to check an alphabetized list of states.
Not that it’s ever been any use to me (maybe one day in some bizzare set of circumstances) but the Tom Lehrer song does remind you that elements like Holmium - (Helium) - Hafnium - Erbium, Yttrium - Ytterbrium - Actinium - Rubidium and the like exist.
I think it does the job, after all you don’t want to have to carry a periodic table everywhere for all those times people ask you to name all the elements.
Yes, indeedy. 5th grade for me, too. Very handy - amazing how many times it has come up over the years.
My fifth grade class, too. Damn, that horrible song has been useful.
For my part, though, I always found the "New… " (New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York…) section creepy. It busts into a weird little chant.
Catchy? I guess you need to know the tune, huh…
I realised after posting that Phl was probably after a mnemonic to remember the order of the Table. I studied chemistry for four years – in fact I am a Master of Chemistry (mwa ha ha, evil laugh, etc) – and my tutor taught me this one to remember the first 20 elements:
Harry Helped Little Benny Ball Carry Nine Oranges From Neptune’s Natural Menagerie, Always Singing Pretty Sonnets, Clearly Arf Key, Casually.
The “arf key” bit is a bit rubbish, but I always remember it…
Of course, you then have to remember what the symbols represent
Wow, thank you guys very much. I’m developing a collection of everything that has some sort of song, or in this case some sort of graphic.
Yes, very much so. The more empirical the lesson the more a student will remember. I’ll even go as far to say if students taking notes during a lecture said each word they wrote, their grades in said class would more likely than not, sky-rocket. Thats why the golden rule in memorizing something is to write and say each word/problem/formula in your list and you will retain for much longer periods.
Or you could just do it the grunt work way: memorise it. I did that on a bet over one weekend in Grade 11: each element, in order, with atomic numbers and average atomic weights. The weights were the hardest part.
Stayed with me through undergrad, when I was still doing some science classes, but I’ve not needed the info for years so I let it slip.
Man, that must have been a *boron weekend. You didn’t get to xenon of your friends or get lead astray at a party! 
Son of a bismuth! :smack:
<Schoolhouse Rock mode>
We the people, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, secure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution, of the United States of America.
</Schoolhouse Rock mode>
Whoops! Hit submit too soon.
I was going to add that this is after a good 25-30 years since I last heard that particular jingle…seems to work fairly well.
Not exactly a song. But I allways grouped the letters thus…
H He Li Be BCNOF Ne NaM gAl SiPS ClArK Ca
Pronounced - “Heh Hee Lie Be Buconov Nee Nam Gal Sips Clark Ca”
It sort of slips off the toungue if you get the intonation right.
Ten years ago I could do all 109 (yes I know they’re up to 118 or something by now). And it went something like -
Ga Gee Assey Br Kr Rub Srinsen Sub Tee Ixekiss Battle Puby Po-At Run Fr Ra
Scutty Vucre Munfe Coney Cuzuny
Zrinub Motuck Roo Ruh Pudag
Cudlou Half-torie Osirupta Uhug
Laceprnud PumSumEugud TubDe Hoer TumYub
Actupa YouNup PooAm CumBackCufess FumMud No.
YMMV.
Uh…I do. For "National Chemistry Week " the American Chemistry Society issued a “Proud to be a chemist” card with a handy-dandy periodic table on the back.
I Never leave the lab without it. But then again, I am a total dork.
<Lehrer>
It’s National Chemistry Week
National Chemistry Week
Bizzwire had the table because he is a geek
</lehrer>
Have No Fear of Ice Cold Beer. Helps you remember the diatomic ions H[sub]2[/sub], N [sub]2[/sub], F[sub]2[/sub], O [sub]2[/sub], I[sub]2[/sub], Cl[sub]2[/sub], Br[sub]2[/sub]. It’s a start, and it’ll stick with you.
A pic of their places on the chart.
