Spanning 17
elements — from lanthanum to lutetium, plus
scandium and yttrium — they find use in computers, screens, superconductors, oil refineries, hybrid or electric vehicles, catalytic converters, compact fluorescent lightbulbs, light - emitting diodes, lasers, audio speakers and microphones, cell phones, MRI machines, telecommunications, battery electrodes, advanced weapons systems, polished glass, and even the electric motors that run automobile windows.
Three of those
elements — ytterbium, erbium, and terbium — were simply given additional variants on the name of Ytterby, while the other three were named holmium (for Stockholm),
scandium, and thulium (both from the Latin for Scandinavia), in the nationalistic fashion then in favor.