ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Cayley–Menger determinant

Imagine you have a bunch of dots in space, kind of like stars in the sky. Now, pretend you want to figure out how far apart each of these dots are from each other. That's where the cayley-menger determinant comes in!

The determinant is like a special math tool that helps you solve problems. In this case, it helps you figure out the distances between the dots. But how does it work?

First, you have to imagine lines connecting each dot to every other dot. These lines are like the paths you take from one star to another. Then, you use these lines to create a matrix. A matrix is just a fancy way of organizing numbers into a grid.

The cayley-menger determinant uses this matrix to calculate the volume of a special shape called a simplex. A simplex is a shape that has straight edges and flat sides, kind of like a pyramid. In this case, the simplex is made up of the dots and their connecting lines.

After the cayley-menger determinant calculates the volume of the simplex, it uses that information to figure out the distances between the dots. It sounds complicated, but it's really just a special trick that math experts use to solve these types of problems.

So, in summary, the cayley-menger determinant is a math tool that helps you figure out how far apart a bunch of dots are in space by creating a matrix, calculating the volume of a special shape, and using that info to solve the problem.