The Element Tournament

A tournament for every single element of the periodic table

[element-tournament]

FINAL RESULTS

And so concludes the periodic table tournament. Which only leaves one winner:

BISMUTH

Known for its rainbow of colors and its strangely cubic structure, Bismuth has many uses and unique properties. It is used in pepto bismol, its liquid state is denser than its solid state, it's the most diamagnetic metal, and has the lowest thermal conductivity of any metal (aside from mercury).

Apparently, someone has done this kind of tournament before, and bismuth won there, too! That shows that bismuth truly is Tumblr's favorite element!

As for the other finalists, the other placements from 2nd to 10th were:

2nd:Carbon 3rd: Cobalt 4th: tied for Plutonium and Potassium 6th: Argon 7th: Promethium 8th: Silicon 9th: Flourine 10th: Strontium

And thus concludes the periodic table tournament! I hope everybody had a good time voting for their favorite elements!

[element-tournament]

FINALS

WHAT IS THE BEST ELEMENT?

Carbon

Silicon

Argon

Potassium

Strontium

Flourine

Bismuth

Promethium

Plutonium

Cobalt

Voting ended onAug 10, 2023

CARBON:

Forms the basis of all life

What diamonds, coal, and pencil lead are made of

Used to make graphene, one of the strongest materials (one atom of thickness is 200x stronger than steel)

SILICON:

Not to be confused with Silicone

Could potentially be used to make life instead of carbon

Used in a lot of electronics, hence the name of silicon valley

ARGON:

Has a distinctive purple glow

used in neon signs

often mistaken as a pirate's favorite element

POTASSIUM:

Found in high quantity in bananas

burning it produces a light purple or red flame

the first metal to be discovered by electrolysis

STRONTIUM:

Used in cancer treatment

Used in toothpaste

The most accurate atomic clock (to one second in the 200 million years) uses strontium atoms

FLOURINE:

the most receptive and most electronegative of all the chemical elements

oxygen, helium, neon, and argon are the only elements fluorine can't react with

the only element that can react with noble gases, specifically xenon, krypton, and radon

BISMUTH:

the most diamagnetic metal (meaning it gets repelled by magnets instead of attracted)

Known for its unique shape and colorful style

PROMETHIUM:

the last lanthanoid to be discovered

PLUTONIUM:

Named after the dwarf planet Pluto

Was once thought to have been discovered by Enrico Fermi along with element 93, but he was actually mistaken. He named it Hesperium.

An unnaturally poor conductor of electricity

Used to make atomic bombs, even more powerful than uranium

Known by some as the "forbidden gummy"

COBALT:

Turns a vibrant blue when heated to extreme temperatures

Named after kobolds, who are "mythical, death-dealing goblins" (not the lizard kobold)

One of only three elements that are ferromagnetic at room temperature

[element-tournament]

The Results: Round 5

The final element that will be moving on to the finals will be:

Cobalt

Meaning we finally have our 10 finalists:

Carbon, Silicon, Argon, Potassium, Strontium, Flourine, Promethium, Plutonium, Bismuth, Cobalt

The FINALL POLL will take place TOMORROW, August 9th, 2023 at 12:00PM EST.

[element-tournament]

TRANSITION METALS: SEMIFINALS

TUNGSTEN (74) VS COBALT (27)

Tungsten

Cobalt

Voting ended onAug 8, 2023

TUNGSTEN:

While often mistaken as the densest element, it is actually the second densest element, with a density of 19.3 grams per cubic centimeter

Well known for the "tungsten cube" which most people buy to examine its weight (and smash things with it)

Was once called "Wolfram"

COBALT:

Turns a vibrant blue when heated to extreme temperatures

Named after kobolds, who are "mythical, death-dealing goblins" (not the lizard kobold)

One of only three elements that are ferromagnetic at room temperature

[element-tournament]

The Results: Round 4

The results are in. There's only one final poll to do before the final poll. That poll will be:

Tungsten VS Cobalt

As for the other finalists, we also have answers for those. Those other finalists are:

Bismuth, Promethium, and Plutonium

The last poll before the finals will begin TODAY, at 2:00PM EST.

[element-tournament]

TRANSITION METALS: ROUND 4 POLL 2

COBALT (27) VS COPPER (29)

Cobalt

Copper

Voting ended onAug 7, 2023

COBALT:

Turns a vibrant blue when heated to extreme temperatures

Named after kobolds, who are "mythical, death-dealing goblins" (not the lizard kobold)

One of only three elements that are ferromagnetic at room temperature

COPPER:

The very first metal to be used

Has extremely high electroconductivity

Turns green when exposed to air for a long time from oxydation

The Statue of Liberty is made out of copper

Naturally antibacterial

A copper time capsule of our planet was sent into space

Is 100% recyclable

Known in Tumblr for the low quality copper of Ea Nasir

[element-tournament]

TRANSITION METALS: ROUND 4 POLL 1

TUNGSTEN (74) VS IRON (26)

Tungsten

Iron

Voting ended onAug 7, 2023

TUNGSTEN:

While often mistaken as the densest element, it is actually the second densest element, with a density of 19.3 grams per cubic centimeter

Well known for the "tungsten cube" which most people buy to examine its weight (and smash things with it)

Was once called "Wolfram"

IRON:

The second most common metal

One of only three elements that are ferromagnetic at room temperature

A main component in steel

[element-tournament]

ACTNOIDS: SEMIFINALS

PLUTONIUM (94) VS EINSTEINIUM (99)

Plutonium

Einsteinium

Voting ended onAug 7, 2023

PLUTONIUM:

Named after the dwarf planet Pluto

Was once thought to have been discovered by Enrico Fermi along with element 93, but he was actually mistaken. He named it Hesperium.

An unnaturally poor conductor of electricity

Used to make atomic bombs, even more powerful than uranium

Known by some as the "forbidden gummy"

EINSTEINIUM:

Named after Albert Einstein

The last double digit element

Glows blue in the dark

Only very small amounts of Einsteinium have ever been created

Was found by scientists doing the following: Dropping a bomb in the pacific ocean Sending fighter jets to the very top of the mushroom cloud to collect samples racing back to the lab to analyze the samples

[element-tournament]

LANTHANOIDS: SEMIFINALS

PROMETHIUM (61) VS HOLMIUM (67)

Promethium

Holmium

Voting ended onAug 7, 2023

PROMETHIUM:

the last lanthanoid to be discovered

HOLMIUM:

Holmium lasers emit light of a wavelength that does not damage eyesight, thus being viable for surgical use

[element-tournament]

POST-TRANSITION METALS: SEMIFINALS

TIN (50 VS BISMUTH (83)

Tim

Bismuth

Voting ended onAug 7, 2023

TIN:

Tinfoil and Tin Cans are no longer made of tin

Terraria's worst metal

"screams" when bent

BISMUTH:

the most diamagnetic metal (meaning it gets repelled by magnets instead of attracted)

Known for its unique shape and colorful style

Used in Pepto Bismol

[element-tournament]

The Results: Round 3

The results are in, and the elements that are going to go to round 4 will be:

Bismuth, Tin, Promethium, Holmium, Plutonium, Einsteinium, Tungsten, Iron, Cobalt, Copper

Meanwhile, we also have 6 elements that have made it to the finals. Those elements are:

Carbon, Silicon, Argon, Potassium, Strontium, and Flourine.

Round 4 will be held today at 12:00PM EST. This time, because there's only going to be 5 polls, they will all take place at once.

[element-tournament]

TRANSITION METALS: ROUND 3 POLL 4

COPPER (29) VS MERCURY (80)

Copper

Mercury

Voting ended onAug 6, 2023

COPPER:

The very first metal to be used

Has extremely high electroconductivity

Turns green when exposed to air for a long time from oxydation

The Statue of Liberty is made out of copper

Naturally antibacterial

A copper time capsule of our planet was sent into space

Is 100% recyclable

Known in Tumblr for the low quality copper of Ea Nasir

MERCURY:

One of only two elements that is a liquid at room temperature

The only metal that's a liquid at room temperature

While not the only element named after a planet in the solar system, it IS the only element with the exact same name as a planet in the solar system

Used in thermometers

[element-tournament]

TRANSITION METALS: ROUND 3 POLL 3

COBALT (27) VS PLATINUM (78)

Cobalt

Platinum

Voting ended onAug 6, 2023

COBALT:

Turns a vibrant blue when heated to extreme temperatures

Named after kobolds, who are "mythical, death-dealing goblins" (not the lizard kobold)

One of only three elements that are ferromagnetic at room temperature

PLATINUM:

10 times more valuable than gold

Was once called "white gold"

A cylindrical hunk of platinum and platinum alloy is used as the international standard for measuring a kilogram

Used for cancer therapy

[element-tournament]

TRANSITION METALS: ROUND 3 POLL 2

TITANIUM (22) VS IRON (26)

Titanium

Iron

Voting ended onAug 6, 2023

TITANIUM:

has the highest strength to weight ratio (just as strong as steel but weights 45% less)

IRON:

The second most common metal

One of only three elements that are ferromagnetic at room temperature

A main component in steel

[element-tournament]

TRANSITION METALS: ROUND 3 POLL 1

NIOBIUM (41) VS TUNGSTEN (74)

Niobium

Tungsten

Voting ended onAug 6, 2023

NIOBIUM:

Used to make stainless steel, MRI scanners, and surgical implants

TUNGSTEN:

While often mistaken as the densest element, it is actually the second densest element, with a density of 19.3 grams per cubic centimeter

Well known for the "tungsten cube" which most people buy to examine its weight (and smash things with it)

Was once called "Wolfram"

[element-tournament]

ACTNOIDS: ROUND 3 POLL 2

EINSTEINIUM (99) VS FERMIUM (100)

Einsteinium

Fermium

Voting ended onAug 6, 2023

EINSTEINIUM:

Named after Albert Einstein

The last double digit element

Glows blue in the dark

Only very small amounts of Einsteinium have ever been created

Was found by scientists doing the following: Dropping a bomb in the pacific ocean Sending fighter jets to the very top of the mushroom cloud to collect samples racing back to the lab to analyze the samples

FERMIUM:

The first triple-digit element

the highest numbered element that can be produced in a nuclear reactor

Because of both of these facts, it is also the only triple-digit element that can be produced in a nuclear reactor

Was found by scientists doing the following: Dropping a bomb in the pacific ocean Sending fighter jets to the very top of the mushroom cloud to collect samples racing back to the lab to analyze the samples

[element-tournament]

ACTNOIDS: ROUND 3 POLL 1

THORIUM (90) VS PLUTONIUM (94)

Thorium

Plutonium

Voting ended onAug 6, 2023

THORIUM:

used to make ceramics, welding rods, camera and telescope lenses, fire brick, heat resistant paint and metals used in the aerospace industry, as well as in nuclear reactions

Named after the greek god thor

PLUTONIUM:

Named after the dwarf planet Pluto

Was once thought to have been discovered by Enrico Fermi along with element 93, but he was actually mistaken. He named it Hesperium.

An unnaturally poor conductor of electricity

Used to make atomic bombs, even more powerful than uranium

Known by some as the "forbidden gummy"