Calcium Calcium Calcium is a chemical element with symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to its heavier homologues strontium and barium. It is the fifth most abundant element in Earth's crust and the third most abundant metal, after iron and aluminium. The most common calcium compound on Earth is calcium carbonate, found in limestone and the fossilised remnants of early sea life; gypsum, anhydrite, fluorite, and apatite are also sources of calcium. The
Symbol Hence, "outward sign" of something. The meaning "something which stands for something else" was first recorded in 1590, in Edmund Spenser's "Faerie Queene". In considering the effect of a symbol on the psyche, in his seminal essay "The Symbol without Meaning" Joseph Campbell proposes the following definition: "A symbol is an energy evoking, and directing, agent". Later, expanding on what he means by this definition Campbell says: Jared Elisha defined symbolism that is something that stands for another, it can be place, object, or a person Heinrich Zimmer gives a concise overview of the nature, and perennial relevance, of symbols.