The document discusses the periodic table and its development over time. It explains that Mendeleev arranged the elements in his periodic table based on increasing atomic mass and was able to predict properties of undiscovered elements. Modern periodic tables arrange elements by atomic number, with elements grouped according to metallic, nonmetallic and other properties. The location of an element in the periodic table can indicate whether it is a metal, nonmetal, or metalloid and what physical and chemical behaviors it will likely have.