Question

What is qualitative and quantitative information conveyed by a symbol?

Answer 1

Hint: The qualitative information consists of unstructured or semi-structured data which does not hold any numerical information but it gives an idea about properties, attributes and description whereas the quantitative information is expressed in terms of numerical value which can be used in calculation.

Complete answer:
In modern periodic table each atom is placed in the increasing order of their atomic number and each atom is denoted by a special symbol which conveys important information as follows:
Qualitative information: As each element has its own unique symbol, it can be used to identify the element; moreover, with the use of symbols, the periodic table looks compact and organized. If the name of each element is to be written in the periodic table, then the data will not be organized anymore. Hence, the major qualitative information conveyed by a symbol is the identification of the element.
Quantitative information: Each element in the periodic table is associated with a mass number and the atomic number which is the most important quantitative information conveyed by a symbol. The number present in the superscript of the symbol denotes the mass number of the element whereas the number present in the subscript of the symbol denotes the atomic number of that element.
Let us consider an example i.e., ${}^{16}{O_8}$.
In the given symbol, $O$ represents an oxygen atom which is a qualitative information. $16$ and $8$ are the mass number and the atomic number of the atom respectively, which is quantitative information.

Note:
The symbol of an element also plays an important role in the chemical reactions as writing the full names of compounds in chemical reactions is a too tedious task and needs more time to understand under what process a chemical reaction is going through. But with the help of symbols a reaction is easier to understand, express and remember .