Airy function

Okay, so imagine you have a big balloon. When you blow it up, the air inside tries to escape out of the mouth of the balloon. But if you pinch the mouth shut, the air can't escape and instead it flows out of the sides of the balloon.

Now, let's talk about a mathematical concept called the Airy function. It's named after a guy named George Biddell Airy (hence the name), who studied the way light moved through a telescope.

The Airy function is used to describe the way waves move in various situations, like when light passes through a lens or a mirror. It's a special kind of function that shows how much the wave is spread out in space.

It's kind of like trying to fit a big wave into a small space. If you can't fit it all in, then some of it spills out the sides like the air escaping from the balloon. And that's what the Airy function describes - how much of the wave spills out of the sides.

So, the Airy function is really just a way of understanding how waves move and spread out in different situations. It's like a tool that scientists and mathematicians can use to figure out how to make things work better, like telescopes or other kinds of devices that use waves.