Final answer:
While the periodic table doesn't explicitly state physical states, carbon is known to be solid at room temperature due to the extensive network of strong covalent bonds in its allotropes, such as diamond and graphite.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine that carbon is a solid at room temperature using the periodic table, it's important to understand that the table itself doesn't explicitly state the physical states of elements. However, some periodic tables include visual indicators such as color coding to represent the states of elements at room temperature, with solids often depicted in one color, liquids in another, and gases in yet another. Carbon, with its symbol (C) and atomic number of six, is categorized under nonmetals in the periodic table. Its most stable physical form at room temperature, graphite, is well-known as a solid, and this is largely due to the strong covalent bonding found in its allotropes, which include graphite, diamond, and fullerenes. All these allotropes have extensive networks of bonded carbon atoms, making them solids under standard conditions.
The allotropes of carbon such as diamond and graphite provide a practical indication of carbon's solid state. Diamond is a hard, transparent solid while graphite is a soft, black solid at room temperature. These properties are a direct result of the strong, extensive network of covalent bonds that hold together the carbon atoms in these substances.