Physics aims to describe the various phenomena that occur in nature in terms of simpler
phenomena. Thus, physics aims to both connect the things we see around us to root causes, and then to try to connect these causes together in the hope of finding an ultimate reason for why nature is as it is. For example, the ancient Chinese observed that certain rocks were attracted to one another by some invisible force. This effect was later called magnetism, and was first rigorously studied in the 17th century.