ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Carmichael number

A Carmichael number is a special kind of number that has a few specific properties. Let's start by talking about what a number is. Numbers are like little labels we give to things so we can keep track of how many of them there are. For example, if you have two apples, you can use the number "2" to describe how many there are.

Now, a Carmichael number is a pretty special number because it has three specific properties:

1. It is an odd number. That means it can't be divided evenly by 2.
2. It is what we call a composite number. That means it is made up of two or more smaller numbers that can be multiplied together to make it. For example, the number 15 is a composite number because it is made up of the smaller numbers 3 and 5.
3. It has a special property called "pseudoprime." That means that when you do a certain kind of math with the number, it looks like a prime number (a number that can only be divided by 1 and itself) even though it's not.

So basically, a Carmichael number is a number that seems like it should be prime, but it's really not. This can be kind of tricky because sometimes we rely on numbers being prime for certain kinds of mathematical calculations, but if we use a Carmichael number instead of a prime number, our calculations might not work out like we expect them to.

Overall, Carmichael numbers are pretty interesting because they have this unique combination of properties that make them stand out from other numbers.