https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=208.90.92.65explain xkcd - User contributions [en]2026-05-24T05:50:28ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3242:_Aperiodic_Table&diff=4119063242: Aperiodic Table2026-05-06T19:21:36Z<p>208.90.92.65: the comic does not display atomic mass (e.g. Carbon would be 12.011) it only displays atomic number.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3242<br />
| date = May 6, 2026<br />
| title = Aperiodic Table<br />
| image = aperiodic_table_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 740x464px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Scientists occasionally invent alternative periodic table layouts, which is usually a sign that they don't have enough enrichment in their enclosures.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created APERIODICALLY. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
The {{w|Periodic Table of the Elements}} is a diagam often used to show the properties of the elements that make up the world. Its structure represents several properties of the elements- for example, all elements in a single column will have similar chemical properties, and the elements increase in size when reading it left-to-right and top-to-bottom (like a book). <br />
<br />
Randall spoofs this concept by creating a similar, but useless, diagram. The original table is "periodic" because it has consistent, repeating patterns that are represented by the horizontal position of the elements- Randall's table is "aperiodic", meaning it has no consistent, repeating patterns. Instead, it is just a line in order by {{w|atomic number}}. To fit in the same space as a normal periodic table, the sequence snakes back and forth and down the page. The diagram is not actually helpful, since it contains no information other than the atomic number of each element, and it depicts this information in an unnecessarily unhelpful and hard-to-read format.<br />
<br />
Chemistry and the periodic table is a common theme on xkcd, with there being many comics featuring humorous variations and "fixes" of it, such as [[2639: Periodic Table Changes]] and [[2975: Classical Periodic Table]].<br />
<br />
The title text is likely a reference to [[3052: Archive Request]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The Aperiodic Table of the Elements<br />
<br />
[Rectangles showing the atomic symbols and atomic numbers from H 1 through Og 118 are arranged in a serpentine chain. The color of each rectangle matches the the pattern of a standard periodic table. For example, the noble elements all have a red background.]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude></div>208.90.92.65