What is the purpose of doing a PCR (polymerase chain reaction)?

To do PCR, the original DNA that one wishes to copy need not be pure or abundant. It can be pure but it also can be a minute part of a mixture of materials. So, PCR has found widespread and innumerable uses -- to diagnose genetic diseases, do DNA fingerprinting, find bacteria and viruses, study human evolution, clone the DNA of an Egyptian mummy, establish paternity or biological relationships, etc.. Accordingly, PCR has become an essential tool for biologists, DNA forensics labs, and many other laboratories that study genetic material.