ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Thaine's theorem

Thaine’s theorem is a way to check if a very special type of equation has a solution or not. The equation must look like this: a^n + b^n = c^n.

Now, let’s break this down into smaller parts.

An equation is just a fancy way of saying you have some things on one side of the equal sign and some other things on the other side of the equal sign, and you want to know if they are the same amount.

For example, 2+3 = 5 is an equation as you have 2+3 on one side of the equal sign and 5 on the other side of the equal sign and they are the same amount.

The next thing to explain is “n.” This is just a way of saying you have a number, but it could be different numbers depending on the problem.

For example, if n = 3, then a^3 + b^3 = c^3. If n = 4, then a^4 + b^4 = c^4.

The last thing to explain is what “Thaine’s theorem” actually says. Thaine’s theorem states that if there is a solution to the equation a^n + b^n = c^n, then at least one of the numbers a, b, or c must be divisible by n.

Let’s look at an example. Say we have the equation 3^5 + 4^5 = c^5. Here, n = 5 since we have both a and b raised to the power of 5. According to Thaine’s theorem, one of the numbers 3, 4, or c must be divisible by 5. We know that 3 is not divisible by 5, and 4 is not divisible by 5. So, that means c must be divisible by 5.

In conclusion, Thaine’s theorem is a helpful way to check whether certain equations have solutions or not, and it involves looking for numbers in the equation that are divisible by a certain number represented by “n”.