Which is best illustrated by Watson and Crick's ball-and-stick model of DNA?

Watson and Crick used a physical ball-and-stick model to explore how DNA’s components could fit together in a double helix. Building and testing a model reflects imagination and creative thinking as part of scientific discovery. It does not show scientists working independently, since their work drew on other researchers’ findings, or simply emphasize repeating an established procedure.

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.