Photosynthesis is a process where plants use light from the sun, water from the roots, and carbon dioxide from the air and turn it into energy to allow them to live. It's probably the most important process that happens inside plants, because without it, plants would die rapidly.
When you look at photosynthesis in more detail, it's an example of something called a chemical reaction.
Chemical equation for photosynthesis:
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The equation says that carbon dioxide is combined with water, which with the addition of light energy, produces glucose (energy the plant can use) and oxygen. The glucose is the important part for plants, because that's what they use to live - to grow, repair, reproduce etc. - but humans gain multiple benefits from plants also. Let's talk about some of those
Probably the most obvious benefit that photosynthesis has for animals, like humans, is that photosynthesis is the reason that we have plants that we can eat. Without photosynthesis all plants would die, and that includes the fruits, vegetables, and leaves that form part (or in some cases all) of the diet of animals.
But let's say you hate eating vegetables. Maybe you're practically a carnivore - even you still have plants to thank for your existence. The energy that you eat when you eat meat originally came from plants: animals like chicken and cows eat plants, and that's how their meat gets energy in the first place. But even if you were to eat a predator - like a crocodile or lion (not that many people would) - that energy came from those predators eating animals that in turn eat plants. All the energy on Earth that allows animals to live originally came from the sun, and was absorbed by photosynthesizing plants.
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