ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

A∞-category

An ∞-category is like a very big bag of things that all go together in a certain way. When you look inside the bag, you see all kinds of objects and each object might have a relationship with other objects in the bag.

Now, an a∞-category is a special kind of bag where the objects inside can be thought of like paths or spaces, kind of like how you might think of a maze. In this special bag, you can turn one path into another path and still have it fit within the bag, just like in a maze where you can turn one way or another to get to the end.

This type of bag is a really useful tool for people who study math and science because they can use it to learn more about paths and spaces and how they relate to each other. It's like having a really big puzzle to solve, and an a∞-category can help make that puzzle a little bit easier to figure out.