95AmAmericium

Actinide · element 95

Americium

In every smoke detector. Named after a continent.

Only 0.8% of people are Americium. (estimated)

If you're Americium

You are on the ceiling of every home, watching quietly, and almost nobody knows your name. Vigilant, useful, unglamorous.

Americium sits inside nearly every household smoke detector, ionising the air to catch smoke.

Find out if you're Americium

How to get along with Americium

Do

  • Value the watching; it's protective.
  • Let them stay on the ceiling and out of the drama.
  • Test the alarm now and then.

Don't

  • Don't ignore the beeping.
  • Don't remove the battery.

When it goes wrong: They go off when there's smoke. Check for fire before blaming the detector.

Atomic profile

Every element is placed on six personality dimensions derived from its chemistry. Your answers are placed on the same six, and the closest element wins. How the scoring works

Reactivity
7
Sociability
5
Stability
1
Energy
1
Rarity
9
Warmth
5

Americium in literature

Characters from public-domain works, chosen for the same traits. Company, not a verdict.

Closest personalities

The elements whose profiles sit nearest to Americium's. If you got Americium, one of these was probably your runner-up.

Other actinides

AcActiniumThThoriumPaProtactiniumUUraniumNpNeptuniumPuPlutoniumCmCuriumBkBerkeliumCfCaliforniumEsEinsteiniumFmFermiumMdMendeleviumNoNobeliumLrLawrencium

On the table