ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Diagonal form

Diagonal form is a special way of arranging numbers in a square table, kind of like a game of tic-tac-toe. In diagonal form, all the numbers that aren't on the diagonal (a straight line from the top left corner to the bottom right corner) are zero. Imagine writing a bunch of zeros around the diagonal like a border. Then, on the diagonal, you write the important numbers. These numbers could represent something like how much money you have, or how fast you're driving.

Why do we care about diagonal form? Well, it turns out that diagonal form is important in lots of different areas, like physics, engineering, and computer science. It makes it easier for people to work with these numbers because lots of math operations become much simpler. It's like tidying up a messy room - when all the numbers that aren't important are cleared away, it's easier to focus on the ones that matter.

So, when you see a table of numbers that is arranged in diagonal form, you know that the zeros are not important and that the meaningful information is all on the diagonal. And, if you need to do some math with those numbers, you can usually simplify things by taking advantage of the diagonal form.