What conclusion can be drawn about the number of elements the make up the majority of the world in which we live and the total number of elements identified on the Periodic Table?

There are many elements in the universe, However, the universe is 98% hydrogen and hellium and only 2% other elements. This is due to the fact that hydrogen and helium and the easiest to make, it requires little energy. But in the universe, there are many potential elements some of which are not naturally occurring.

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rspill6 rspill6 · Answer 2 · 2021-10-04T16:32:52+02:00

Answer: Greyfeatherlove has already posted a good answer. I'll add a few remarks.

Explanation: As noted by Greyfeatherlove, the universe is made up of lots of hydrogen and helium. Suns produce their light and energy when these two elements fusion in the hot cores of suns. The fusion releases energy and forms larger elements such as berylium, lithium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. Larger elements come from more energetic suns, while cataclysmic events such as supernovas have the energy to form the larger elelemnts found on the periodic table. Our sun is not large by univere standards, and is is thus more limited to making the smaller elements.

While I'm not sure what conclusion can be drawn withourt more data, it does make sense that life evolved around the more common elements manufactured by our own sun. This poses a great question that will surely be explored by George Lucas: what will evolve on planets around a more energictic sun thyat produced larger elements in abundance. Istead of carbon-based (atomic mass units: 12 AMU) life, should we expect silicon- (28 AMU) or tin-(119 AMU) based life instead?

We should also remember that many of the largest elements on the periodic table are either synthetic (man-made) or and/or very unstable. I wouldn't be surprised to find a real rockbiter (The Endless Story) pounding the mountains of a distant planet near a large star.