There is no other tool in science that allows us to judge relative properties of a class of objects like this, which makes the periodic table a very useful tool. The variation of properties versus position on the periodic table is called periodic trends.
One of the reasons the periodic table is so useful is because its structure allows us to qualitatively determine how some properties of the elements vary versus their position on the periodic table. Be able to state how certain properties of atoms vary based on their relative position on the periodic table.
