“Name a periodic system in any context that you can think of.”
This open end SWBQ can be use to gauge how familiar the class is with periodic systems and help clarify any inconsistencies in student answers that are not considered a periodic system.
Although very common in solid state physics, periodic systems can be found in a multitude of contexts in physics or otherwise. This activity challenges students to think about periodic systems in contexts they have previously encountered. By the end of the discussion, students are given the formal definition of a periodic system.