Which of the following statements best describes how the periodic table is organized?

• A. Elements are grouped based on their atomic mass.
• B. Elements are placed randomly without any specific order.
• C. Elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic number.
• D. Elements are organized alphabetically by their chemical symbol.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that the periodic table is a systematic arrangement of elements based on their properties.
2. Recall that early versions of the periodic table were organized by atomic mass, but this method had inconsistencies.
3. Recognize that the modern periodic table is arranged by increasing atomic number, which is the number of protons in an atom's nucleus.
4. Know that arranging elements by atomic number groups elements with similar chemical properties into columns called groups or families.
5. Conclude that the best description of the periodic table's organization is that elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic number.