Comments on: Assignment 4a: Evaluations https://pages.graphics.cs.wisc.edu/765-10/archives/648-assignment-4a-evaluations Course web for CS838 Spring 2010, Visualization Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:15:38 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.7.4 By: watkins https://pages.graphics.cs.wisc.edu/765-10/archives/648-assignment-4a-evaluations#comment-136 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 07:44:33 +0000 http://graphics.cs.wisc.edu/Courses/Visualization10/?p=648#comment-136 This is a quote from the website you linked to:
“When [Mendelev] organized the table into horizontal rows, a pattern became apparent–but only if he left blanks in the table. If he did so, elements with similar chemical properties appeared at regular intervals–periodically–in vertical columns on the table. ”
I think this speaks volumes about the periodic table’s worth as a visualization. Not only did it organize what was already known about the elements, it correctly revealed parts of a pattern, and facilitated future discoveries to complete that pattern.
That being said, it’s usefulness is definitely restricted to people who already know something about physics and chemistry.

I agree that the globe must have never been intended for any serious reference. I mean, I don’t even know where the countries are in relation to the words. For that matter, it might not even be mapping geographic location. It might be trying to map causality, or some normalized amount of whatever is written… there’s really no way to tell.

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