3242: Aperiodic Table

2026-05-07T00:48:07Z

2607:FEA8:74A9:B100:DD06:560D:3B35:39B7: specific diction ("enclosure") given seems less accurate with pets in mind

{{comic
| number = 3242
| date = May 6, 2026
| title = Aperiodic Table
| image = aperiodic_table_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x464px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Scientists occasionally invent alternative periodic table layouts, which is usually a sign that they don't have enough enrichment in their enclosures.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created APERIODICALLY. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
The {{w|Periodic Table of the Elements}} is a diagram 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 increase in size going top to bottom. Elements in a given row decrease in size going left to right, with only a few exceptions, and there are similar trends in their tendency to gain or lose electrons, and other properties. Elements in a given row increase in the charge of their nuclei going left to right, but that's essentially by definition: they're ordered by atomic number, which is the same as their nuclear charge.

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 in a space-filling manner. The diagram is not actually helpful, since it contains next-to-no information other than the atomic number of each element, plus faint colouring on each box to show its category, though due to the dull colours that is also quite inconvenient to use, and it depicts this information in an unnecessarily unhelpful and hard-to-read format.

Chemistry and the periodic table is a periodic 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]].

The title text might be a reference to [[3052: Archive Request]], or maybe some real attempts at inventing actual 'non-grid' linear versions of the periodic table, such as the {{w|File:Elementspiral_(polyatomic).svg|'periodic snail'}} that was created by {{w|Otto Theodor Benfey}}. It is also likely joking by relating scientists to zoo animals, from the reference to not having enough enrichment in their enclosures.

Thallium’s symbol is incorrectly given as Ti in this comic; its actual symbol is Tl.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

The Aperiodic Table of the Elements

[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.]

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

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3242: Aperiodic Table