ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Algebraic geometry of projective spaces

Okay, let's think about it like playing with blocks! You have different sized blocks and you want to build something cool, like a tower. But you want to make sure that your tower is really symmetrical, so you only get to use blocks that are the same on all sides, like a cube.

Now, imagine that instead of blocks, we have shapes that are kind of like blocks but they can have different sizes and proportions, kind of like a rectangle or a triangle. And instead of building a tower, we want to build something called a projective space. This is like a special kind of space that allows us to study how these shapes fit together in different ways.

When we talk about algebraic geometry, we're basically studying how to use algebra to understand these shapes. Algebra is like a set of rules that tell us how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide different things. We can use algebra to understand how these shapes fit together by studying things called equations.

For example, let's say we have two shapes, a triangle and a circle. We can describe these shapes using equations that tell us how the different points relate to each other. The equations might look something like this:

Triangle: x + y + z = 1
Circle: x^2 + y^2 = r^2

Here, "x", "y", and "z" are different numbers that describe the shape of the triangle, and "r" is a number that describes the size of the circle. By studying these equations, we can understand how the triangle and the circle fit together in space.

Now, when we talk about projective spaces, we're basically talking about a kind of space where these equations look a little different. Instead of just describing shapes in regular 3D space, we're describing shapes in a kind of higher-dimensional space that allows us to study symmetrical patterns in a really cool way.

So, to sum it up: algebraic geometry of projective spaces is basically the study of shapes that can be described using equations in a special kind of space. By understanding these equations, we can learn a lot about how these shapes fit together and create really cool symmetrical patterns.