ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Cartier divisor

A cartier divisor is like a tiny little map that tells you how to divide a shape into smaller pieces. Imagine you have a pizza and you want to divide it into slices of different sizes. A cartier divisor shows you where to cut the pizza so that each slice is the size you want it to be.

But instead of cutting pizza, a cartier divisor is used to divide a mathematical object called a scheme into smaller pieces. Schemes are like shapes, but with extra mathematical properties that make them more interesting to study.

The cartier divisor tells you where to make cuts on the scheme so that you can study it in smaller pieces. It's kind of like taking apart a puzzle to see how it works.

Cartier divisors are important because they help mathematicians understand how different parts of a scheme fit together. By studying each piece separately, they can figure out how the whole thing works.