ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Data processing

Data processing is like playing with Lego blocks. Imagine you have a big box full of different Lego pieces, each of them is unique in its own way. When you want to build something with Lego blocks, you need to choose the pieces you want to use, put them together in the right order, and then you have a finished creation.

Now, imagine the Lego pieces represent information, like numbers, letters, and images. Data processing is when you take this information and organize it in a way that helps you learn something new or solve a problem. Just like building with Lego blocks, you need to choose the pieces of information you want to use, put them together in the right order, and then you have your finished processed data.

For example, let's say you have a big list of names and ages, but you only want to know the average age of the people on the list. You would use data processing to filter out the names and only look at the numbers, then you would add up all the ages and divide by the number of people on the list. The result is the average age, which is the output of your data processing.

Data processing can be done manually or with the help of computers. When you use a computer to process data, you write instructions called code, that tells the computer how to take the data, organize it, and output the result you want. The computer does all the work for you, like putting together a big Lego creation with lightning-fast speed.