ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Burnside ring

Burnside ring is like a toy box where we keep all our toys. This toy box has different compartments for different types of toys. Each compartment represents a group of toys with the same properties. This way we can easily organize and count our toys.

Similarly, Burnside ring is a mathematical tool that helps us organize and count symmetrical objects. Symmetrical objects are like toys that have the same properties. For example, a square and a rectangle are symmetrical objects because they both have four sides and four corners.

To use Burnside ring, we first need to define a group of symmetries for our objects. This group represents all the ways we can transform an object without changing its properties. For example, rotating a square by 90 degrees is a transformation that doesn't change its properties.

Once we have defined the group of symmetries, we can use Burnside ring to count the number of objects that are indistinguishable under these symmetries. We can think of it as counting the number of toys in each compartment of our toy box.

The Burnside ring has special rules that allow us to add, subtract, and multiply the compartments of our toy box. This way we can combine different types of symmetrical objects and count how many distinct arrangements we can make.

In summary, Burnside ring is like a toy box for symmetrical objects. It helps us organize and count these objects based on their symmetries. By using it, we can combine different types of objects and count how many distinct arrangements we can make.