my daughter is doing homework about chemicals symbols for example iron has the symbol fe but why is that?

Answer 1

Iron = Ferrum (Latin)

Answer 2

Fe is the chemical symbol for Iron. The symbol is based on the Latin word for iron: ferrum

You will find chemical compunds are also named this way. Iron(II) oxide is also known as ferrous oxide, for example.

Answer 3

Fe are the first two letters of the Latin word for iron. Many elements have an abbreviation of their Latin names as their symbols.

Answer 4

Many of the chemical symbols are based on their Latin names.
Iron (Fe) - Ferrum
Sodium (Na) - Nadium
Potassium (K) - Kalium
Copper(Cu) - Cuprum
Silver(Ag) - Argentum
Gold(Au) - Aurum
Tin(Sn) - Stannum
Antimony(Sb)- Stibium
Lead(Pb) - Plumbum
Mercury(Hg) - ??
Tungsten(W) - Wolfram (NB this is an old name and not Latin).
All the other symbols are taken directly from their names. e.g. Helium (He).
Many of the heavier elements have their names from Astronomy, r place name where they were discovered, or after famous scientists.

Answer 5

The reason some elements have peculier symbols is to do with the original latin name. For example iron= ferrous therefore Fe. Similiarly lead is from latin plumbum therefore symbol is Pb.

Answer 6

First the latin word for iron is FERRUM. Usually chemicals symbols are done by the first two letters of the defining name or rarely by how the element is formed (atomically) or then after those people who have discovered the element.

Something fun:
http://www.privatehand.com/flash/elements.html
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5879929494819477318

Answer 7

The above answers are correct.
Some elements have been known and used for hundreds of years and, in some cases, the name has stuck, in other cases not.
e.g. Tungsten used to be called Woolfram. Its symbol is W.

Newly discovered (or artificially made) elements may be named after planets or the place where they were made/discovered.
e.g. fermium, californium, neptunium

Answer 8

The symbol is taken from the latin or greek stem. There is both Ferric and Ferrous Iron, for instance.

Answer 9

Fe comes from the Latin word ferrum

Answer 10

In ancient Rome, the word for iron was "ferrum". Centuries later, Latin was the language of choice for scholars and scientists, but English-speaking laypeople had long since adopted the Anglo-Saxon derived "iron" to refer to the metal that was so important in their daily lives. When it came time to give elements their universally-agreed-upon symbols, scientists chose the Latin (or Greek) words to base them on.

Not only do we have Fe for "ferrum," but also Na for "natrium" (sodium); K for "kalium" (potassium); Cu for "cuprum" (copper); Ag for "argentum" (silver); Sn for "stannum" (tin); Sb for "stibium" (antimony); Au for "aurum" (gold); Hg for "hydragyrum" (mercury); and Pb for "plumbum" (lead).

The only weirdo in the bunch is tungsten, W. The word "tungsten" is derived from Swedish, but Germans called one of its main ores "wolframite". I won't try to sort that out. It's between them.

Answer 11

Iron (Fe) is an element. You can find it in the Periodic Table. See source.