Final answer:
Puberty is the period during which humans become sexually mature and experience changes in their primary and secondary sex characteristics. It is also a time of rapid body growth.
Step-by-step explanation:
Puberty is the period during which humans become sexually mature. Besides maturation of the primary sex organs (those involved directly in reproduction), secondary sex characteristics also emerge during puberty. Adolescents with a high level of testosterone in their blood develop masculine traits (such as facial hair), and adolescents with a high amount of estrogen in their blood develop feminine traits (such as breasts). In addition, there is a period of rapid body growth during puberty, which results in sexual dimorphism in adult body size, composition, and shape.