ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Cubic equation

So, imagine you have a special game where you get to make up your own rules. One of the rules you make is that every time you put in a number, you get out another number. But, you also decide that you want to make sure that the answer is always multiplied by itself three times. So, if you put in the number 2, you want the answer to be 2 x 2 x 2, which is 8. This is called a cubic equation.

Now, let's say you want to be able to figure out what number you need to put into your game to get a certain answer. This is where solving a cubic equation comes in. It can be a little tricky, but basically you use some special formulas and math tricks to figure out what the original number was that would give you that answer.

For example, if you put in the number 3 into your game, you know the answer will be 3 x 3 x 3, which is 27. But, if someone gives you the answer 64 and asks you what number they would need to put into your game to get that answer, you would need to solve the cubic equation to figure it out. You would use some fancy math formulas to break apart the equation into smaller parts and then put the parts back together in a certain way to get the answer.

In summary, a cubic equation is like a special game where you multiply a number by itself three times, and solving the equation means figuring out what the original number was that would give you a certain answer.