Affine type system

Imagine you have a box of toys that you can play with. Some toys have different shapes and sizes, but they all fit inside the box. An affine type system is like the box that holds these toys, but instead of toys it holds information about computer programs.

When people write computer programs, they use different kinds of data like numbers, letters, and words. Each piece of data has a type, just like each toy has a shape. An affine type system helps keep track of these types so that the program works correctly.

In an affine type system, each piece of data can only be used once (like each toy can only be played with once). This is called "affine". If you try to use the same piece of data twice, the program won't work.

So imagine you have a toy car in the box. You can play with it once, but you can't play with it again because you've already used it. In a program, you might have a number that you can use to do a calculation, but you can't use it again because it's been "consumed" by the program.

Overall, an affine type system helps you write computer programs that are less likely to make mistakes. Just like a box helps you keep track of your toys, an affine type system helps you keep track of your program's data types.