TI
Pb
Bi
Po
At
Rn
87
88
89
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
Fr
Ra
Ac
Rf
Db
sg
Bh
Hs
Mt
Ds
Rg
(Uub)
(Uut)
(Uuq)
(Uup)
(Uuh)
lanthanide series
6
actinide series
7
Numbering system adopted by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).
** Numbering system widely used, especially in the U.S., from the mid-20th century.
*** Discoveries of elements 112-116 are claimed but not confirmed. Symbols in parentheses are temporarily assigned by IUPAC.
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
Ce
Pr
Nd
Pm
Sm
Eu
Gd
Tb
Dy
Ho
Er
Tm
Yb
Lu
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
Th
Pa
U
Np
Pu
Am
Cm
Bk
Cf
Es
Fm
Md
No
Lr
The periodic table arranges the elements into groups (vertically) of elements sharing common physical and chemical characteristics, and into periods (horizontally) of sequentially increasing atomic number and electron-shell configuration. Elements 112-116 are reported to have been created experimentally but have not yet received per¬
manent names.
© MERRIAM-WEBSTER INC.
Elephant Man orig. Joseph (Carey) Merrick (b. Aug. 5, 1862, Leicester, Leicestershire, Eng.—d. April 11, 1890, London) Englishman disfigured by a disease that caused growths over his skin and bone sur¬ faces. His head was 3 ft (.9 m) around, with large bags of skin hanging from it, the jaw so deformed he could not speak clearly. One arm ended in a 12-in. (.3-m) wrist and a finlike hand. His legs were similarly deformed, and a defective hip made him lame. He escaped from a work- house at 21 to join a freak show, where a London physician, Frederick Treves, discovered him and admitted him to London Hospital. He died in his sleep at 27 of accidental suffoca¬ tion. His disease was probably the very rare Proteus syndrome. A suc¬ cessful play and film were based on Merrick’s life.
elephant seal Either of the two largest pinniped species: the northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustiros- tris), of coastal islands off California and Baja California, or the southern elephant seal (M leonina ), of sub- Antarctic regions. Both are gregari¬ ous earless seals. The male has an inflatable, trunklike snout. The northern species is yellowish or gray-brown, the southern species blue-gray. Males of both species reach a length of about 21 ft (6.5 m) and a weight of about 7,780 lbs
(3,530 kg) and are much larger than the females. Elephant seals feed on fish and squid or other cephalopods. During the breeding season, bulls fight to establish territories along beaches and to acquire harems of up to 40 cows.
Eleusinian Mysteries \,el-yu-'si-ne-3n\ Most famous mystery reugion of ancient Greece. It was based on the story of Demeter, whose daughter Persephone was kidnapped by Hades. While searching for her daughter, Demeter stopped at Eleusis, revealed her identity to the royal family, and taught the natives her rites. The Greater Mysteries were celebrated in autumn, beginning with a procession from Athens to the temple at Eleu¬ sis. This was followed by a ritual bath in the sea, three days of fasting, and completion of secret rites. Initiates were promised personal salvation and benefits in the afterlife.
Eleusis \i-'lu-s3s\ Greek Elevsis \,e-lef-'ses\ Town, with ruins of an ancient city, eastern Greece. Famous as the site of the Eleusinian Myster¬ ies, it is about 14 mi (23 km) west of Athens. It was independent until the 7th century bc, when Athens annexed the city and made the Eleusinian Mysteries a major Athenian religious festival. The Gothic leader Alaric destroyed Eleusis in ad 395. Deserted until the 18th century, it was revived as the modern town of Eleusis (Greek Lepsina), now a suburb of Athens. Some of the ruins have been excavated, including the Hall of Initiation, which dates back some 3,000 years to late Mycenaean times.
elevator Car that moves in a vertical shaft to carry passengers or freight between the levels of a multistory building. The use of mechanical lift¬ ing platforms dates to Roman times. Steam and hydraulic elevators came into use in the 19th century; electric elevators had been introduced by the end of the century. Most modem elevators are electrically propelled through a system of cables and pulleys with the aid of a counterweight, though hydraulic elevators are still used in low buildings. The introduc-
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
612 I Elgar ► Elgin
Element
Symbol
Atomic no.
Atomic weight*
Element
Symbol
Atomic no.
Atomic weight*
Actinium
Ac
89
227.028
Molybdenum
Mo
42
95.94
Aluminum
Al
13
26.9815
Neodymium
Nd
60
144.24
Americium
Am
95
(243)
Neon
Ne
10
20.180
Antimony
Sb
51
121.75
Neptunium
Np
93
237.0482
Argon
Ar
18
39.948
Nickel
Ni
28
58.69
Arsenic
As
33
74.9216
Niobium
Nb
41
92.9064
Astatine
At
85
(210)
Nitrogen
N
7
14.0067
Barium
Ba
56
137.33
Nobelium
No
102
(259)
Berkelium
Bk
97
(247)
Osmium
Os
76
190.2
Beryllium
Be
4
9.01218
Oxygen
O
8
15.9994
Bismuth
Bi
83
208.9804
Palladium
Pd
46
106.42
Bohrium
Bh
107
(264)
Phosphorus
P
15
30.97376
Boron
B
5
10.81
Platinum
Pt
78
195.08
Bromine
Br
35
79.904
Plutonium
Pu
94
(244)
Cadmium
Cd
48
112.41
Polonium
Po
84
(209)
Calcium
Ca
20
40.08
Potassium
K
19
39.0983
Californium
cf
98
(251)
Praseodymium
Pr
59
140.9077
Carbon
C
6
12.011
Promethium
Pm
61
(145)
Cerium
Ce
58
140.12
Protactinium
Pa
91
231.0359
Cesium
Cs
55
132.9054
Radium
Ra
88
226.0254
Chlorine
Cl
17
35.453
Radon
Rn
86
(222)
Chromium
Cr
24
51.996
Rhenium
Re
75
186.207
Cobalt
Co
27
58.9332
Rhodium
Rh
45
102.9055
Copper
Cu
29
63.546
Roentgen ium
R g
111
(272)
Curium
Cm
96
(247)
Rubidium
Rb
37
85.4678
Darmstadtium
Ds
110
(271)
Ruthenium
Ru
44
101.07
Dubnium
Db
105
(262)
Rutherfordium
Rf
104
(261)
Dysprosium
Dy
66
162.50
Samarium
Sm
62
150.36
Einsteinium
Es
99
(252)
Scandium
Sc
21
44.9559
Erbium
Er
68
167.26
Seaborgium
s g
106
(263)
Europium
Eu
63