ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Algebra/set analogy

Okay, imagine that you have a bunch of toys. Some of these toys are balls, some are cars, and some are stuffed animals. Now, if we want to organize these toys, we can put them into different sets based on what kind of toy they are.

Similarly, in algebra, we have different kinds of numbers and variables (which are like toys). We have the whole numbers, decimals, and fractions, to name a few. Just like how we put the toys into different sets, we can put these numbers into different sets too.

Now, let's say we have two different sets of toys - one set with just the cars, and another set with just the stuffed animals. We can combine these sets to make a bigger set that includes both the cars and the stuffed animals.

Similarly, in algebra, we can combine sets of numbers to create new sets. For example, we can combine the set of whole numbers with the set of decimals to make a larger set that includes both types of numbers.

Overall, thinking about algebra in terms of sets is helpful because it allows us to organize and manipulate different types of numbers, just like we can organize and manipulate different types of toys.