ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Colossal magnetoresistance

Okay kiddo, let me try to explain colossal magnetoresistance in a way that you can understand.

Imagine you have a favorite toy car that you like to play with. One day, you notice that your car is not moving as smoothly as it used to. You take a closer look and see that there is something stuck to the wheels that is making it harder for the car to move.

Colossal magnetoresistance is kind of like that. Except instead of a toy car with wheels, we're talking about something called a "material." This material has tiny particles inside of it that are usually lined up in a certain way, like toy car wheels rolling in the same direction. These particles are called "electrons" and they help to conduct electricity through the material.

Now, let's say we put a magnetic field near the material. This magnetic field is like a giant magnet that can influence the direction of the electrons inside the material. The magnetic field can either align the electrons even more or scatter them around, kind of like someone trying to push the toy car in different directions.

If the magnetic field is strong enough, it can scatter the electrons so much that it becomes harder for electricity to flow through the material. It's like putting too much stuff on the toy car wheels that it can't move anymore. This is called "magnetoresistance" because the magnetic field is affecting the resistance of the material to electricity.

Now, the word "colossal" is used because in some materials, this effect can be really strong. Like, really really strong. Scientists are still trying to understand why some materials have colossal magnetoresistance, but they think it has to do with the interactions between the different particles inside the material.

So there you have it, kiddo! Colossal magnetoresistance is when a giant magnetic field affects the flow of electricity through a material by scattering the tiny particles inside. It's kind of like someone trying to push a toy car in different directions at the same time, making it harder for the car to move.
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