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The thought that things around us are made up of limited substances was prevalent since ancient times. Thus, people from various civilisations made attempts to identify such basic building blocks from time to time.
The Greek, Chinese and Indian philosophers believed that everything in the world could be reduced to simple substances.
Let us have a look at the elementary substances put forth by ancient philosophers.
The word 'Element': You often use it in your daily life!
Its meaning depends on the context in which it is used. An element could be the part of a device such as the filament of a bulb, or the elements in society responsible for something - such as the army. The term can also imply natural elements such as tornados or hurricanes.
Even in Chemistry, the terms ‘elements of Chemistry’ (the fundamental principles of Chemistry!) and ‘Chemical elements’ (of the Periodic Table) differ in meaning.
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