ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Adaptive-additive algorithm

An adaptive-additive algorithm is like playing with blocks. Imagine you have a bunch of different blocks of different colors and shapes. Some blocks are big, some are small, some are square, some are round. Now, let's say you want to build a tower out of these blocks. You could just randomly take blocks and stack them on top of each other, but that might not work out very well. So instead, you decide to use an adaptive-additive algorithm.

The first step in the adaptive-additive algorithm is to choose a base shape. This is like deciding what kind of block you want to start with. Let's say you choose a square block. Next, you look at all the other blocks and try to find ones that will fit on top of the square block. Maybe you find a block that's also square but a little smaller than the first one. You add that block on top of the first one. Then you look for another block that will fit on top of the second block. Maybe you find a round block that's a little bigger than the second block. You add that block on top of the tower.

As you keep building the tower, you keep looking for blocks that will fit on top of the tower. Sometimes you might have to go back and change the base shape to make the tower more stable. For example, if the tower is getting too tall and wobbly, you might switch to a wider base shape to give it more support.

The adaptive-additive algorithm is like playing with blocks in this way. The algorithm looks for patterns in the data it's working with and tries to build a model that fits those patterns. Instead of just randomly choosing blocks or pieces of data to work with, the algorithm looks for things that will fit together well and make sense in the context of the data.

In summary, an adaptive-additive algorithm is like building a tower out of blocks. You start with a base shape and then look for blocks that will fit on top of that shape. You keep building the tower one block at a time, looking for shapes that will fit together well and make the tower more stable. The algorithm works the same way, looking for patterns in the data and building a model that fits those patterns.