Okay kiddo, do you know what a machine is? It's something that does things automatically, like a robot or a car. Well, now imagine a special type of machine that can do different things depending on the time.
This machine is called an alternating timed automaton. It has a bunch of states, which are like different modes or settings, and it can transition or switch between these states depending on how much time has passed.
For example, let's say we have a machine that can either be in a state where it's sleeping or a state where it's awake. If it's sleeping, it stays asleep for a certain amount of time before waking up. If it's awake, it can either stay awake or go back to sleep after a certain amount of time.
An alternating timed automaton can handle more complex situations where there are many states and transitions. But the basic idea is the same: it's a machine that does different things depending on how much time has passed.