Periodic Times Table

About Periodic Times Table

Periodic Times Table mixes chemistry and arithmetic. The mystery number lies between 1 and 14,043, and after each guess the game tells you your distance from it, written with chemical elements in place of numbers. Each element stands for its atomic number: hydrogen is 1, carbon 6, gold 79.

If you are within 118 of the answer, the distance is shown as a single element. If the distance is the product of two atomic numbers, it is shown as a multiplication of two elements. Otherwise a third element is added or subtracted, following the usual order of operations, with the multiplication worked out first. An expression with three elements is not necessarily further away than one with two. Knowing your atomic numbers, or looking them up, is half the puzzle.

Periodic Times Table is one of seven daily games from Here's What You Do, a weekly UK quiz podcast hosted by James, Jonny and John. A new puzzle comes each day, following UK time, and it is free to play. A free Here's What You Do account saves your stats and history and adds a Friends Leaderboard that compares all seven games with friends and family.

How to play Periodic Times Table

1. Open Periodic Times Table on hereswhatyoudo.co.uk.
2. Guess any number from 1 to 14,043.
3. Read your distance, shown as one or more elements standing for their atomic numbers.
4. Work out the distance and whether to go higher or lower, then guess again.
5. Find the mystery number in as few guesses as you can.

Tips

• Learn a few atomic numbers: hydrogen 1, carbon 6, oxygen 8, iron 26, silver 47, gold 79, uranium 92.
• A single element means you are within 118; switch to fine adjustment.
• Compute multiplications before additions, as the rules say.
• Keep a periodic table to hand until the numbers become familiar.

Questions