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A comment on Unnatural Keys – Nature doesn’t come with identifiers. Parent comment

Re:Unnatural Keys – Nature doesn’t come with identifiers by xmcqdpt2 on Sunday May 28, 2023 @06:42AM (#36102880)
Most elements are stable, especially most of the ones we deal with, and they fall in clear periods and rows based on chemical valence. This is true for main group elements and mostly true for transition metals.

I think the periodic table was discovered, not invented. My guess is that whenever we communicate with some advanced alien species, the periodic table is going to be one of those things we share.

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Re:Unnatural Keys – Nature doesn’t come with identifiers by TeMPOraL on Sunday May 28, 2023 @08:37AM (#36103477)
Periodic table is recording multiple different patterns in atoms. Some better than others. By nature, its a dimensional reduction. There are many alternative renderings of the periodic table (or spiral, or cube, or ...) emphasizing different regularities. The one you refer to is just the most popular rendering.
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