ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Biplot

A biplot is like a picture that shows how different things are similar or different from each other. Imagine if you had a lot of toys, like maybe some balls and some stuffed animals and some action figures. A biplot could help you see which toys are more like each other and which are different.

To make a biplot, we need to measure some things about the toys. Maybe we measure how bouncy each ball is, how soft each stuffed animal is, and what kind of superhero each action figure is. Then we put all those measurements into a computer and it makes a picture for us.

The picture has two axes, like two lines that cross in the middle. We can put the different toys on the axes. For example, maybe we put the balls on one axis and the stuffed animals on the other axis. Then we look at the picture and see which balls are close to which stuffed animals. If they are close together, that means they are similar in some way. If they are far apart, that means they are different.

We can also put numbers on the axes to help us understand the picture better. Maybe we put a number from 1 to 10 for how bouncy each ball is, and a number from 1 to 10 for how soft each stuffed animal is. Then we can see which balls are bouncier and which stuffed animals are softer.

Overall, a biplot is a way to see how things are similar or different from each other by measuring some things about them and making a picture.