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was given the atomic weight of 16 and all other elements were com- pared to it. All the elements known at the time were plotted, by their atomic weight, on the cylinder. When the metal cylinder was rotated once, certain elements that shared physical and chemical properties,

arranged themselves into a vertical line. Every 16 positions on the cyl- inder showed the same (or similar) properties. There were problems with this arrangement. Not all the properties or similarities between elements were correct or account- ed for. But this was the first time that there was an arrangement of the elements based on their atom- ic weights. The idea that elements with similar properties can be ar- ranged in a systematic order was a significant contribution to science. British chemist John Newlands

Chancourtois’s telluric screw can be made on a paper roll, too.

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The Chemistry of Everyday Elements