READ: What is Science?

Scientists may focus on very different aspects of the natural world. For example, some scientists focus on the world of tiny objects, such as atoms and molecules. Other scientists devote their attention to huge objects, such as the sun and other stars. But all scientists have at least one thing in common. They want to understand how and why things happen. Achieving this understanding is the goal of science.

Have you ever experienced the thrill of an exciting fireworks show like the one pictured in the Figure below? Fireworks show how the goal of science leads to discovery. Fireworks were invented at least 2000 years ago in China, but explaining how and why they work didn’t happen until much later. It wasn’t until scientists had learned about elements and chemical reactions that they could explain what caused fireworks to create brilliant bursts of light and deep rumbling booms.