ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Dirac string

Imagine you have a toy car on a race track that spins around in circles. Now imagine there is a string tied around the car, keeping it on the track. The string tells the car where to go and keeps it from flying off the track.

In the world of science, there is something called a "Dirac string" which is a bit like that toy car and string. The Dirac string is an imaginary line that scientists use to help explain how subatomic particles, like electrons, move around.

When electrons move, they produce a magnetic field that can sometimes create a "hole" in space. This can make it look like the electron is not moving in a straight line, but is instead jumping around in a strange way.

The Dirac string helps us understand this by acting like the string tied to the toy car. Like the car on the race track, the electron "follows" the Dirac string, even though there might not actually be a physical string there. This helps explain why the electron moves the way it does.

So, in short, the Dirac string is an imaginary line used to help explain the weird ways that subatomic particles move around. It's like a string tied to a toy car - it helps keep things moving in the right direction.