Define Symbol?

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Solution

Symbols are the shorthand notation representing a single atom of an element.
It generally consists of a letter or combinations of letters derived from the name of the element.
In most of the cases, the first letter of the name of the element in capital letter is used as the symbol of the element.
Example: Boron ----Symbol B
Carbon -----Symbol C etc.
In the periodic table elements are arranged by size of the atom and each element is represented by chemical symbols.
There are 118 elements on the periodic table that have chemical symbols.
If the chemical symbol has two letters the first letter is always capitalized and the second letter is written in lower case.
Example: Ca(Calcium),Si(Silicon etc.).
Some chemical symbols don't seem to make sense because the symbol doesn't correspond with the English word for the element.
Example: Au(Gold), K (Potassium), etc.
For these, the chemical symbol is derived from their Latin name. The Latin name for Gold is Auram so the symbol is Au.