Periodic Trend Definition

The original table of elements published in 1869
Clive Streeter / Getty Images
by Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.
Updated February 03, 2019

Periodic Trend Definition

A periodic trend is a regular variation the properties of an element with increasing atomic number. A periodic trend is attributed to regular variations in the atomic structure of each element.