The periodic table<span> is a systematic arrangement of the </span>elements. They are arranged according to their atomic number, the number of protons (which in the case of atoms is also the number of electrons) of each atom. Some of the properties of the elements can be predicted<span> given their </span>location<span> in the </span>periodic table<span>.</span>
The periodic table is a collection of elements that is arranged based on their atomic number (the number of protons), its atomic weight (protons + neutrons I believe), and its chemical symbol. Now usually for the low ranking numbers, you can easily identify them based on their atomic number, since everyone knows that 1 is hydrogen, 2 is helium, and it goes on from there.
But to guess an element based on its position is actually basing it off its column position. There are 18 columns. You can't exactly predict the exact element, but its properties through these columns Column 1 is alkali metals (excluding hydrogen) Column 2 is alkaline metals Columns 3-12 are transition metals Column 17 are halogens Column 18 are noble gasses Columns 13-16 are a mix of metalloids, nonmetals, and other metals