ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Bernoulli's triangle

Hey there, have you ever heard of Bernoulli's triangle? It's a really cool pattern that mathematicians use to help solve math problems.

Imagine a triangle with each row displaying a series of numbers. At the top of the triangle is the number "1" and then the rows below that are made up of the sum of two numbers in the row above it. For example, the second row would have two numbers, both "1" because 1+0=1.

Now, here's where it gets really interesting. The third row would have three numbers. To get those three numbers, you would add the two numbers in the second row that are closest to it. So, the first number in the third row would be 1 (from the 2nd row) +1 (from the 2nd row) = 2. The second number in the third row would be 1 (from the 2nd row) +2 (from the 2nd row) = 3. And the final number in the third row would be 2 (from the 2nd row) +1 (from the 2nd row) = 3.

Do you see the pattern yet? Each row has one more number than the previous row and each number is the sum of two numbers from the row above it. That's Bernoulli's triangle!

But why is it useful? Well, mathematicians use Bernoulli's triangle to help them solve equations and find various mathematical patterns. So, next time you see a triangle with a pattern like this, you'll know it's Bernoulli's triangle at work!