In my post about Pokémon classes and classification, I noted that they run through and repeat across generations, making it possible for one to see its "periodicity". Something else that has this quality is the periodic table of the elements, an indispensable tool for many chemists. Their similarity in this regard has led them to being juxtaposed, particularly in a slightly jocund (in jest) manner. For me, there's also a personal connection regarding that, so I feel the need to discuss it, especially after the classes and classification post, which I made yesterday.
The in-jest portion is that there are people who remember the lineup of Pokémon species (according to the National Dex) and thus their periodicity, while they can't remember the same for the chemical elements. The jest comes from the fact that the latter is real-life knowledge that is useful in different areas, while the former is pop culture knowledge that is niche compared to the rest of life. Yet it seems that the periodicity of the latter makes (or should make) it easy to remember, just like the periodicity of Pokémon species as established.
On the other hand, both may be thought of as specialized knowledge that not everyone needs to know, at least in too great of a depth than what is necessary. As such, they might not matter much for whom the knowledge is not a primary concern. For those whom the knowledge is a concern, though, their periodic qualities are useful to know and in fact may be the key to knowing a lot, including their order, properties, and adjacencies among other qualities, all of which are evident for the chemical elements as much as Pokémon species.
Personally, I make no compromises: I find knowing both important. By this blog, I'm a darned great Pokémon fan, but I also have a darned good grasp of many things about chemistry. Therefore, for the latter, knowledge of the periodic table of elements is important for me to know the relations among the elements, and for the former, knowledge of the National Pokédex is important for me to link all the species together. Even with certain limitations of citing things right off the top of my head, at least I can quickly discern some facets.
A chemist relies on the periodic table of the elements for the grand picture of their existence. Meanwhile, a Pokémon fan relies on the National Dex for referencing species from past to present. Both of them can and are established to have a sense of orderliness and most importantly repetitiveness in a key and elegant manner. Though it is possible to regard both in jest, the importance of both in their respective areas is still a serious matter - particularly if both of them are truly realistic concerns for relevant people.
One year ago: Birdkeepers, the Real and the Imagined
Two years ago: Pokémon Hanafuda
Three years ago: Limited Research Methodology
Four years ago: The Spirit of Giving
Five years ago: A Faraway Tournament and a Charitable Spirit
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