Question

While looking at xenon (Xe) on the periodic table, a student needs to find an element with a smaller atomic mass in the same group. Where should the student look?
directly up

directly down

directly to the left

directly to the right

Answer 1

Groups are the columns which go down. (The rows are periods).

As you can see in the periodic table the atomic number increases as you go down the periodic table.

Therefore the answer is to look directly up :)

Answer 2

Answer is: directly up.

Neon (Ne) is noble gas with atomic number 10 and atomic mass around 20.

1) directly up is noble gas helium (He) with atomic mass around 4.

2) directly down is noble gas argon (Ar) with atomic mass around 40.

3) directly to the left is florine (F), with smaller atomic mass, but also from different group.

4) directly to the right there no elements, because noble gases are far right in 18. group of Periodic table.