First, what is science? We have been using the idea of science for many thousands of years. For example, we used to eat by finding nuts, berries, and fruit. When we had found one fruit that was good, that is, tasted good and didn't make us ill, how did we go about repeating the process. That is, finding the same type of fruit again. We compared a new fruit with the one that was good for us. Did the new fruit look the same as the good one? That is, we were comparing patterns. Was the new fruit similar to the good fruit? Science is the process of finding, describing, and understanding patterns, both the obvious, such as fruit to fruit, and the hidden patterns. The understanding part of the process involves questions such as: does this pattern occur elsewhere: what does this pattern imply: is there a connection between this pattern and another one.

Art, beauty, and science are intimately linked. Patterns appeal to us because they are generally good for us; that appeal is called beauty;art appeals to us as beauty bcause it reproduces patterns; the study of patterns is called science. It takes creativity to produce good art; it takes creativity to recognise and understand patterns.

So where are we in our study of patterns?

Over the course of time we've used stones, then metals in various improving combinations to help us manipulate nature. When we have found a useful combination we have reproduced it by recognising the pattern of activity that produced it and repeating that process. Eventually tools were developed that enabled us to look for the undelying patterns. We found that some things could be separated, but there is a limit to this separation process. Those things that cannot be further broken down are called elements. There are 92 naturally occurring elements.

Gold is an example of an element. Can we keep dividing a piece of gold into ever smaller pieces? No. There is a smallest piece of gold which is called an atom of gold. Each element has an associated atom of that element. Atoms are very small. They are so small that its their effects that first gave scientists the clues that they existed.