Cognitive load

Cognitive load is like a backpack that your brain carries around. Your brain can only hold a certain amount of information at once, and just like a backpack, if it gets too heavy, it becomes harder to carry around.

When you're learning something new or trying to solve a problem, your brain has to work harder and use more space in its backpack. This is called cognitive load.

Imagine you're trying to solve a puzzle. If the puzzle is very easy, it will not use up too much space in your backpack and you can easily solve it. But if the puzzle is very hard, it will use up a lot more space in your backpack and you will have to focus more to solve it.

There are different types of cognitive load. The first is intrinsic load, which is the amount of work your brain has to do just to understand the problem. The second type is extraneous load, which is caused by distractions or unnecessary information that makes it harder for your brain to focus. The third type is germane load, which is the amount of work your brain has to do to understand and process information that is actually relevant to solving the problem.

In summary, cognitive load is how much "stuff" your brain is carrying around when trying to solve a problem or learn something new, and it can be made up of different types of information. The less "stuff" there is, the easier it is for your brain to work and learn!