Question

what happens to the properties of the elements as you go down a column of the table

Answer 1

Assuming you're referring to the periodic table of elements and not some other weird thing, Wikipedia has the answer: "From top to bottom in a [column], the atomic radii of the elements increase. Since there are more filled energy levels, valence electrons are found farther from the nucleus." ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodic_table#Organization)

Hope this helps!