ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Box–Jenkins method

Have you ever seen a weather report on TV and they talk about making predictions for the future weather? That's kind of what the Box-Jenkins method does, but not for the weather.

Instead, it helps make predictions for things like sales, stock prices, or even how many people will visit a website. The Box-Jenkins method is a way for people to figure out patterns in data and then use those patterns to make predictions.

The "Box" part of the Box-Jenkins method is all about preparing the data. Imagine you had a bunch of toys all jumbled up in a box. You wouldn't be able to find the toy you want very easily. So, before you can make predictions with the Box-Jenkins method, you have to sort out the data and organize it so it makes sense.

The "Jenkins" part of the Box-Jenkins method is where the prediction magic happens. Think of it like putting a puzzle together. You have different pieces (your data) and you put them together in a specific way (the Box-Jenkins method) to make a picture (a prediction).

But before you put all the pieces together, you have to figure out what shape the puzzle pieces should be. The Box-Jenkins method helps you do this by looking at different patterns in the data. These patterns are like different shapes of puzzle pieces. Once you find the right shapes, you can start putting them together and making predictions.

So, in summary, the Box-Jenkins method is a way to organize data and then use patterns in the data to make predictions about the future. It's like sorting through a box of toys and then putting together a puzzle to figure out what's going to happen next.