Question

Define symbol.

Answer 1

Symbol

• Symbols are the shorthand notation representing a single atom of an element.
• It consists of a letter or combination of letters derived from the name of the elements.
• In 1811, Berzelius suggested a simple way of writing a symbol to represent an atom of an element in the following way-

1. For some elements, symbols are generally derived from their Latin, German and Greek names.
2. In most the cases the first letter of the name of the element in capital letter is used as the symbol of the element
3. When the name of the two or more elements has the same initial letters then the name of the element is written in the small letter along with the initial letter written in capital.

Example-

Element	Symbol
Hydrogen	H
Helium	He
Carbon	C
Calcium	Ca